Living in the Shadow
by laurenzane
Summary: Diane is Trish's twin sister. All her life she'd done everything for her sister, giving up everything that she loved for her. But somehow, there was one thing she couldn't give up- her love for Trish's boyfriend, John Cena.
1. FLASHBACK

**Living in the Shadow by Lauren Zane**

**FLASHBACK**

I stared at John as he lay on the bed. He seemed so peaceful, snoring lightly and was covered only blankets. I try to look away but something in him drew me closer, something that I've long tried to resist but finally succumb to.

It wasn't just his looks. No, It was much more than that. Perhaps it's his soothing voice or the way he held my hand or maybe even his smile. These reasons may seem logical for some, but it wasn't reason enough for me.

It wasn't reason enough to sleep with my sister's boyfriend.

I gazed at myself on the bedroom mirror not far from the bed I was in. My reflection seemed different, unusual. It's as if I was looking at a completely different person, or someone I would be scared to be like years ago. Physically I looked fine, maybe even great. The long messy brown hair, the eyes to match and the bare skin showing through the covers. If someone would see me now, he'd probably think I'm in a bliss judging by the redness of my cheeks. But I'm not. In fact, I feel exactly the opposite of that.

Guilt started to consume me, like a virus starting to attack my whole being. It was more than embarrassing, the feeling that I didn't only betray Trish but I also myself for giving in to this temptation. Trish would never forgive me. She loves John more than anything, maybe even more than her own sister. If she finds out about this I know she would never forgive me. I know her too much, that it scares me even more. I know what exactly she'll do.

Although I feel as guilty as anyone could be, somewhere deep inside of me I felt good. It felt wonderful, having someone you care for so much, even for just one night. Pathetic, it may seem, but I would treasure it. As much as I'd like to deny it, I can't hide it anymore.

I love John.

As cliché as it might seem, I've loved him ever since I first saw him.

I was startled when I felt him move and that was when I realized I was crying. I tried as fast as I can to wipe the tears off my face, but it was too late, he already got up.

He stared at me for a while, as if mimicking what I was doing to him moments earlier. His expression showed somewhat a mix of curiosity and anxiety.

"Diane," Hearing him say my name sent chills down my spine. "What's wrong?"

I looked back at his ocean blue eyes and felt broken. Out of all the men in the world, how could I have been so lucky to fall for my sister's? It was more than unfair.

He moved in closer to me and cupped my face with his big hands, as if trying to kiss me. I was quick to move away and that made him think twice.

"Did I do something wrong?" His voice was so soft, almost a murmur.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong." I replied. "I did." Somehow blurting it out seems much more painful than repeating it over and over inside my head.

I felt his hand at my back as he carefully turned me to his direction.

"Don't." I fought my emotions at the exact same time that I pushed him away. "John, we shouldn't be doing this. Trish loves you."

As I stood up, everything became a blur. It's as if I had just woken up from a dream, I absentmindedly took my clothes from the floor and started wearing them.

"Diane, C'mon." John was behind me now, trying to hug or hold me in some way as to stop me. He knew I was going to leave. "Trish and I are-"

"What?" I snapped at him, feeling frustrated." I know it already! It's not as if she hasn't told everyone yet. I know you guys are going to get back together, John. You don't have to explain anything. This doesn't have to be more than just one night."

His face became white and at that very moment I knew I was right. Trish had her way with words so I sometimes doubted her, but judging on John's reaction, I was convinced that this time she was saying the truth.

I headed to the door before he could put his hands on me again. I was afraid that if he did, I'd find it even harder to walk away. I gave him one last look as I opened the hotel door, I wanted to get at least one more chance to see him that way. For a brief moment in time, John was mine.

"Diane, wait!" He called out but it was too late. I already made up my mind. I could never risk the relationship I have with my sister over a boy, even if this boy was my whole life.

"Diane!" I could hear his voice fade as I continue walking through the hallway. "Diane!"


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Diane, do you mind zipping me up?"

I heard Trish call me from the corner of the locker room. Her blonde hair was up in curlers and her back was exposed showing her bare skin. Her black leather dress was unzipped and she was trying her best to reach the end of the zipper, making it look like she was a pretzel.

I promptly walked to her and did the task. She gave me a small smile in return as she turned towards me.

Trish was my twin sister. Someone I am deeply proud of and thankful for. She has worked as a wrestler in World Wrestling Entertainment for 2 years now, a diva as they say. Ever since we were young, she was always the active one of the pair and somehow her being involved in fitness magazines and wrestling didn't surprise our family. She was blonde, stood about half an inch taller than my 5'4 frame and was extremely fit. I always envied how her abs never fails to mesmerize people.

As for me, I donned our natural brown hair color and ate junk food almost everyday. I work as a make-up artist for the divas, never wanting to go steal Trish's limelight. Actually, when Trish was busy working as a fitness model for magazines, I tried my hand on wrestling. It became one of my passions, but since Trish was offered the job first, I didn't want to spoil her chances. I then decided to just pursue my other dream of becoming a professional makeup artist.

At first I didn't want to work in the WWE, I felt that if I'd ever work for the company, I would only work there as a wrestler. But my mother, being an ultimate fan of my sister, urged me to. In fact I could still hear her saying to Trish:

"Trish, you better help your sister get into your company so she could earn at least half of what you do!"

So immediately after I graduated from Fashion School, I started working as a professional make up artist for WWE. It wasn't just because I wanted to prove my mother wrong and that I could earn as much as much with any job, but also because although I try to deny it, I still wanted to be part of the company even the slightest bit. Ever since I was young, I was a big fan of wrestling and no matter the circumstances nothing could ever change that.

"Tag team Main event tonight with John." She tells me with a smile. "I can't wait."

I managed to give her a smile back.

As expected, John and Trish got back together after the incident six months ago. And since then, John and I became completely oblivious of one another, only showing interest or expression when there are other people around.

I never shared what happened to us with anyone, not even my best friend Maria. I couldn't accept the fact that I succumbed to the temptation of sleeping with John. There wasn't any closure on our part because I felt that we didn't need any. Alcohol was an enough cause for two people to act without thinking. There was nothing to blame but my stupid feelings.

I checked Trish's make-up one last time, taking a slanted eyebrow brush from my belt bag and gently stroking her lids, spreading the black eyeshadow powder a little more.

"Maybe we should go party after the show!" Trish declared as I continued to apply touch ups on her face.

"Trish, aren't you going to be tired after the show?" I asked her as I fixated my eyes on her face, making sure everything looked perfect for the performance.

"C'mon, Don't talk like you're older than me, lil' sis." She grunted. "Of course the reason we're going to party is because we're going to relax!"

I hate it when Trish does that. How she always seems to remind me that she's older than me by 2 goddamn minutes. It's like I can't even give her advice on anything.

"Well, it's up to you but I'd rather go to the hotel and sleep." I told her.

"You should start going out, you know." She rolled her eyes at me.

I finished retouching her makeup and nodded at her. "There you are, ready for the show." I walked up behind her and started removing the curlers from her hair.

"Wow, sis. You're definitely good at this." She remarked as she looked at her reflection on a hand mirror she took from the chair beside her.

"It's not hard to do when I'm putting makeup on beautiful faces." I replied, taking off the last of her curlers. Her hair bounced and I motioned her to face me so I can check on her one last time.

"Perfect." I gave her a smile.

"Thanks, now maybe John won't be able to focus on our match." She winked at me and headed towards the black cabinet at the end of the room. I quickly gathered my makeup brushes from the chairs beside me when Trish left. The brittles seemed to have lost its original brown color and is now a mixture of black and purple, the colors I've used on the divas since that evening. Putting makeup on 6 girls everyday may seem easy for some, but for me it's an everyday hassle. It takes about an hour for me to finish one girl and with Trish, usually 2 hours since I also do her hair.

I checked out my reflection on the hand mirror and couldn't help but laugh at what I looked like. I was like the rotten apple out of the bunch, everyone around me looked so perfect. Their well made up hair and perfect faces were a contrast to my unmade face and messy ponytail. I quickly placed a hint of blush on my cheeks, just so I can hide my fatigue.

"Hey there!" I heard a familiar voice behind me. I turned and saw Maria come inside the room. She was already wearing her wrestling attire that consisted of black leather pants and bra. Her red hair flowed naturally to her shoulders and the makeup I did on her still seemed fresh.

"Hey Maria!" I greeted her as I sat down on the now clutter-less chair. "What's up?"

"I don't have a match tonight, what a bummer." She said as she sat on the chair beside me. "Phil and I were kinda looking forward to finally using the camel clutch he taught me. Oh well, maybe next time."

"You guys are pretty kinky, using camel clutches on each other." One of the other divas, Candice Michelle, commented from across the room.

Everyone inside the room started laughing when Maria's face became red.

"What the hell are you saying?!" She shouted at Candice and then buried her face in her hands. "We only try that during our practices!"

"Aaww.. The baby girl is embarrassed!" Candice said as she and the girls continued laughing.

Maria was obviously the kid of the group. She'd joined the WWE the same time that I did so we really understand each other well. Although she looks like a fully-grown 22-year-old woman, she doesn't act like it. She gets embarrassed and annoyed easily but luckily her boyfriend Phil, better known to the fans as CM Punk, understands her completely.

I managed to stop laughing and tapped Maria's shoulder as I stood up, trying to comfort her a bit. I dropped my make up filled belt bag on Trish's cabinet and headed outside, hoping to get some coffee from the vending machine on the hallway.

I sprinted towards the door, quickly opening it.

"I'll just get some coffee!" I told them as I closed the door behind me. I promptly turned around only to be greeted by John's blue eyes.


	3. Chapter 2

*A pretty short chapter. :P Will try to update soon. Thanks for reading!

**Chapter 2**

I don't know how long we stood there without saying a word but as I stared at John, my heart started to skip a beat.

"Hey." His deep voice echoed to my ears. "Are you okay?"

I nodded as I continued to look at him. He looked different now. Way different from the image I kept of him inside my mind. Aside from his hair growing a bit longer, he also looked exhausted, as if he lacked some sleep.

He stared back at me for a while and it was as if everything around us had disappeared. I looked down, not wanting to continue this trance that we were in.

"Trish is inside." I mumbled as I walked away as quickly as I could. My heart was racing and I was out of breath by the time I reached the end of the hallway. I leaned on the wall, trying not to cry. I had no idea what came up to me to make me feel this way again. Maybe because that was the first and longest time we've been alone ever since the incident.

I shook my head in frustration and started to walk towards the vending machine.

I absentmindedly took a plastic cup from the container and dropped a few coins inside the machine. I promptly pressed the on button and started filling my cup. The sound of the coffee bursting from the tap distracted me for a brief moment.

I sighed and tried to forget what had just happened.

_I must've looked like a fool, staring at him like that. I can't believe all this time he still has that same effect on me. Stupid, Diane. You are so stupid._

"Ouch!" I jumped back when I suddenly felt the scorching heat of the coffee spilling onto my right hand. I accidentally dropped the cup on the floor in shock.

"Damn it!" I cursed myself under my breath, taking a napkin from my pocket and covering my right hand with it. The burn on my hand seemed to clash with the texture of the cloth. I tried hard not to scream in pain.

"You alright?" I looked behind me and saw another WWE wrestler, Randy Orton, staring at me with a worried expression on his face. He seemed to have seen the whole coffee-burning-my-hand episode.

"I, well, I got b-burned." I stuttered for a bit, not wanting to admit to my stupidity. I raised my injured hand for him to see. "But it'll be fine, I can handle it."

"I actually have a balm for burns, do you want some?" He asked me with a small smile.

"No, it's fine." I replied as I shook my head. "I'll just probably get some ice to cover this up."

I watched as he came up to me and inspected my injured hand. It already had a small gash from the heat.

"It looks bad, you sure you don't want some ointment? My locker's just a few doors back, I could get you some in a jiffy." He suggested once again.

He must've sensed my hesitation when I just stared at him, saying nothing. He gave out a small laugh.

"I'm not going to kidnap you or anything." He said with a chuckle. "It'll be real quick, besides I'm not the kind of guy who'll just watch a person in pain and do nothing."

"Well, okay." I finally agreed, following him as he started to walk to the other end of the hallway.

Randy and I weren't really close. In fact, this was probably the first time we spoke to each other. We've seen each other before but since I usually spend more time with the women, I don't have much time to meet the other wrestlers of the company. Of Course, Randy was one of the top stars of the WWE so it would be impossible not to be familiar with him.

I couldn't help but stare at him as we continued walking. He was extremely tall and fit that if I were not familiar with wrestling, I would have probably mistaken him for a model. He was wearing a crisp white shirt and black pants and it seemed like he had just arrived from a meeting of some sort.

We stopped in front of a red door and Randy signaled me to wait outside for a moment. As he went inside the room, I decided to lean by the doorway. I felt the throbbing pain in my hand as I stood there. I started worrying on how I'd be able to work and apply makeup if my hand would really get injured.

After a few minutes, Randy came back outside holding a tube of ointment. He quickly handed it to me with a smile.

"That'll ease the pain a bit but I suggest you move away from coffee machine from now on." He gave me a warm smile.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." I smiled back shoving the tube of ointment inside the pocket of my jeans.

"No problem. I'm glad I helped. I'm Randy Orton, by the way."

He extended out his right hand only to realize I wasn't capable of shaking it. He took it back and smiled.

"Sorry." I gave him an embarrassed smile. "I'm Diane."

'Trish's twin, right?"

I nodded. Somehow I have gotten used to being called that by most strangers.

"Well, Diane, take care of your hand now, will you?" He winked at me. "I'll see you around."

I watched as he turned around and opened the door of his room in one swift motion. I was surprised that he could move so gracefully even with his height.

"Thanks again!" I called after him as he entered the room. He looked back at me and gave me one last smile before closing the door behind him.

When he was gone, I looked down at my injured hand and shrugged.

"You better heal up fast." I said as I walked away.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I dropped my two make-up kits by the side of the dresser where Maria was anxiously waiting. Today was her shoot for and as usual, I was assigned as the official make-up artist. Today's theme was 'everything pink' so Maria had to wear a tight pink dress and knee-high boots. She looked like she was taken right off a Barbie doll box.

I started unpacking my tools and placing them on the table beside us. I neatly arranged the make-up brushes in a straight line so that I'd have no problem looking for them later on. I had about 3 sets of 28-piece MAC brushes and they were all contained in a leather case. My teachers in fashion school always reminded me that in order for my make-up to look good, I have to use different brushes for every shade, hence my fascination for many make-up brushes.

When I was finished with the brushes, I aligned everything else on a straight line. Then I took out my palette I use for mixing eye shadow and foundation colors. I was a bit miffed when I realized I wasn't able to use my right hand as much because of the bandages covering it.

From the look of things, it was going to be a long day.

"Are you sure you can work with that hand?" I turned to face Maria and saw her staring at my right hand. I've successfully covered the burns on my palm with bandages and the ointment that Randy gave me. Thankfully, it proved to be effective. Within hours it felt like nothing even happened.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine. This thing doesn't even hurt a bit." I assured her with a smile. "Good thing I managed to patch it up quickly."

"Yeah." She agreed. "Thank God for Randy, huh?"

I nodded at her as I started pouring the foundation on the palette. I took a brush and started applying some on Maria's face. Gently stroking her features.

"Maybe I should thank him again the next time we see each other." I thought aloud as I continued spreading the color on her face.

Maria started to shake her head rapidly and I scolded her and told her to calm down.

"It's just that I'm so excited!" She told me, her expression showing eager anticipation. "Do you know that Randy never really talks to the divas?"

I stopped what I was doing and stared at her for a moment. "What do you mean 'never talks' to them?"

She shrugged. " I dunno, there was a rumor that years before we came to the WWE, Randy harassed one of the divas. She complained and filed a lawsuit against him but Randy was acquitted. She then left the company, claiming that the reason Randy didn't pay for his crimes was because he was a top star and Vince protected him. He is, after all, a son of a former wrestler. There's a lot on the line."

"Do you think she's telling the truth? I mean, the girl who said Randy harassed her..Do you think Randy really did that?" I asked her, visibly shaken of the news. Randy didn't seem like the type of guy to harass people. He seemed so nice.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You're the one he talked to!" She managed to say with a laugh.

I resumed what I was doing, trying not to let the news bother me.

*

I came back to the hotel room feeling exhausted. The photo shoot lasted for 6 hours, leaving both Maria and I drained as ever. It was already 8 o'clock in the evening when I realized that I have eaten neither lunch nor dinner.

The room was empty when I arrived. I figured that maybe Trish was still out. She'd mention to me earlier that she had an interview for a local magazine. Today is our last day in New York so everyone was making the most out of it, tomorrow we'll be flying out to Florida to do some more house shows and live taping.

I dimmed the lights, dropped the make-up suitcase near the door and jumped onto one of the beds. The soft cushion collided against my skin and I started to feel giddy. I was too lethargic to get up and eat so I decided to just not eat tonight and make up for it tomorrow morning.

I was on the brink of sleep when I heard two voices nearby.

"John, what is with you?" Trish's familiar voice filled my ears. "You don't love me anymore, do you?"

"Trish, can you please just lower your voice? People are probably sleeping!" Came John's response.

The other words that followed seem to be garbled. I couldn't understand them any longer so I decided to pretend sleeping while waiting for Trish to come inside the room.

I heard the door open and a loud thud came afterwards. I could hear Trish sobbing softly not far from where I was. I sat up and saw her curled up on the other bed, she was covering her face with her hands but it was apparent that she was crying. I slowly went and sat next to her.

"Trish, are you okay? What happened?" I stroked her hair slowly.

She looked up at me and it looked like she'd been crying for a while, her eyes were puffy and red.

"John. "She sobbed. "I don't think he loves me anymore, Diane."

The news struck me and I didn't know how to react. I've heard similar news like this before but this time it was different. I stopped myself from assuming that John's resentment towards Trish was because of me. I knew whatever happened to us had no meaning for John. He was just a man being a man.

"What? I mean, how can you say that?" My throat became dry all of a sudden.

"He's just not himself anymore." She sat up and looked at me straight in the eyes. "He thinks I'm talking to Ron." She explained, referring to her ex-boyfriend. "He's always irritated and gets mad because of the littlest things. I just don't know that to do with him anymore! I can't stay this way with him. I don't feel healthy, I'm not happy."

I stared at her and started to feel even guiltier. I've hidden this feeling for six months but it seemed like I couldn't conceal it any longer. Trish deserves to know the truth and she needs to know it NOW. Whatever happens before this, at least I've cleared my conscience.

"Trish, there's something you need to know." My voice cracked as I told her that.

She looked back at me with a curious expression on her face. Her tears continued to fall from her eyes and it broke my heart even more.

_Here goes. _

"Trish, I did something bad. I-"

My stomach started grumbling and Trish gave out a laugh.

"You forgot to eat, didn't you?" She was smiling now.

"Well, yeah. But that wasn't what I wanted to tell you."

"You can tell me next time." She said as she sat back down. "I'm tired. You should go eat or something. I'm not hungry anyways."

"Trish, I really need to tell you this." I insisted but she brushed me off.

"Diane, please. Just go away." She cut me off before I could say anything more.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The trip to Florida was a blur. I never got chance to talk to Trish again after that night. She just seemed oblivious of the guilt I was carrying and thought that all I wanted to do was to cheer her up. It's been eating me up inside and there was nothing I could do but wait for another moment when I could talk to her truthfully. It seemed that God has planned to prolong my agony.

I wasn't really sure whether John and Trish had a talk about their relationship since my flight was different from theirs. The stars of the company were to be flown extra early with their respective managers as to avoid delays in the shows and the appointments. Even if I was a close family member of one of the divas, I was still no exception. The priority was the wrestlers, of course.

Immediately when we landed, we were piled up with so many work that I barely had time to sleep, sightsee or even think of what to do. We went to hotels, malls, radio stations and TV stations all across town. Trish was featured again on a local newspaper in Tampa, Florida so I had my hands full with her makeup. I had to make sure she looked her absolute best everytime.

On the final days of our stay, everyone seemed to be feeling exhausted. The live taping had just finished and we had about less than two days to make the most out of our visit. We were going to fly to Europe tomorrow night. I was busy packing my things inside the diva's locker room when I heard Trish come inside. She greeted all the divas that were also busy packing then headed towards me.

"Hey, Diane." She gave me a small smile. "I talked to John."

I looked at her and immediately remembered that Trish and John got into a fight not long ago. Somehow everything that happened the past few days distracted me from the truth.

"Wh-what happened? Are you guys okay?" I stopped packing for a while to listen to her. She sat on the chair beside our cabinet and shrugged at me.

"I guess so." She told me as she sighed. "I dunno what we really are right now, but we haven't broken up."

I swallowed a lump on my throat and gave her a smile.

"That's great." I said half-heartedly. I was happy that Trish and John were still together, but at the same time my I felt my heart break a bit.

"He says that instead of staying at the hotel tonight, we should just go and spend the night at his house. Come with us."

I shook my head. "It's fine, Trish. I'll just stay at the hotel." I gave her a quick response. There was no way that I would spend the night at John's, I've managed to stay away from him this much. Staying with him under one roof would definitely take everything back.

"Everyone else is coming." She insisted. "I even asked Maria earlier and she seemed ecstatic about it. C'mon sis. If John and I got into a fight again tonight, I wouldn't be able to survive without you."

I had no other choice but to agree.

*

I should've known that when Trish said 'Everyone Else', she really did refer to everyone in the roster. The whole place was jam packed by midnight. All the young wrestlers came to crash at John's place and started a mini house party, approximately 20 to 30 of us.

John's home was beyond beautiful. It was situated atop a hill and was extraordinarily huge. The outside was painted white and the garage was filled with John's collection of vintage and sport cars. The house sort of reminded me of Lara Croft's. It seemed that John really made an effort to build and furnish it.

There was an indoor pool and beside it was a fun room. It was the center of activities for the night. Everyone was in their bathing suits and had beer in their hands.

I scanned around as I sat by the bar not for from the pool. I was searching for anyone I could talk to but it seemed liked everyone was busy doing their own thing. Maria and Phil were cuddling by the side of the pool so I couldn't disturb them. Trish and John were nowhere to be seen either, I figured they must be talking somewhere. All the others were busy playing in the pool but I had no energy to swim and join them.

I finished the last of my beer and tossed the can by the table. It sucks to have no one to flirt and talk to, especially when you're a bit tipsy. Instead of sulking, I decided to head to the kitchen to get another can of beer.

I was wearing a black one-piece swimsuit and covered myself with a leather jacket I borrowed from Trish. Somehow she'd convince me to change into this outfit. I also promised her I'd swim but since she's not around, I can freely do whatever. My flip-flops made little sounds as I made my way to the kitchen.

The inside of the house was grander than that of the outside. Everything was neatly arranged and the walls were painted an elegant white. It was exactly what I would want my house to look like. The living room alone could possibly serve as a home for most people. There was a grand piano and a beautiful fireplace. I decided that I would stay there after I grabbed a beer.

The floor was slippery because of the spots of water. People came in and out of the kitchen leaving their wet footprints behind. My vision was a blur as I stumbled towards the room. I seemed to have lost count of the amount if beer I drank. I opened the kitchen door and came inside in one quick motion. As I stepped inside of the room, I felt my slipper slide because of the water and I fell back.

I screamed and waited for the pain, but somehow it felt like I didn't hit the ground. Instead, there were two strong hands that seemed to have grabbed me from behind. I looked up and saw Randy staring at me with a worried expression on his face.

"Hold it." He told me as he helped me up. "There you go." I was back on my feet again. "You okay?"

I walked back and shook my head a bit to improve my vision. I looked at him again and sure enough, it was indeed Randy.

He gave me a warm smile. "You're not really lucky these past few days."

I nodded and gave out a small laugh. "Yeah. Bummer. Thanks for that."

"No problem. How's your hand?" He said, throwing a glance at my right hand.

I raised it up and smiled. "Better than ever. Thank you again for the ointment. You're a real lifesaver. I can't believe you saved me two times."

He laughed and walked across towards the refrigerator. He opened it and took out a can of beer. I covered myself with the jacket more since the air seemed to be suddenly colder.

"Want some?" He offered.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks." I watched as he pulled out another can and tucked it under his arm as he closed the refrigerator door. He slowly walked to me and handed me the beer.

I opened it and took a sip, watching as Randy did the same. He was wearing a black affliction t-shirt and blue shorts. He wasn't wet so I figured that he didn't swim either. I was actually surprised that Randy came to the party tonight, especially after knowing the incident from Maria. I assumed he was aloof to the people altogether.

"You're not swimming?" His voice distracted me from my thoughts. He stared at me as he leaned on the marble kitchen counter. He too seemed to have been lost in thought.

"No. I'm not really in the mood." I replied.

"But you're wearing a swimsuit?"

I laughed. "Just one of the things I do for my sister."

He laughed and nodded. "It's good to know you girls are good to each other. I have a younger sister named Becky. She and I are really close but it's hard when I hardly get the chance to go home. She's in college now."

"She doesn't want to be a wrestler?" I asked. Wrestling has been in Randy's blood for generations, I know for sure that his skills are partly inherited.

"Nope. She wants to be a doctor. At least someone in our family wants more than to be in the ring." He displayed a proud smile on his face.

We went on talking about his family. Randy's father had trained Randy since he was a teenager. He started wrestling in high school and continued until he graduated from college. It seemed that wrestling was their 'family business'. It was no surprise that Randy became one of the best athletes in the WWE in no time.

Our conversation drifted to other things and I found myself following Randy to the living room to better continue our discussion. The time went back quickly and I only realized that it was already past 4 in the morning when I glanced at the wall clock above the fireplace. I didn't have a lot of beers after I left the kitchen because I didn't want to pass out and make a fuss. Randy had a few cans that he bought with him to the living room but basing from his expressions, he doesn't seem to be too drunk.

He glanced at the wall clock like I did and gave me a small smile.

"It's getting late, we should probably sleep. You need all your energy tomorrow. You have an interview, right?" I asked him. He was sitting across from me on the other couch.

"Yeah, but they'd never know that I lacked sleep anyway. I can always be a jerk and get away with it." He gave out a small laugh.

"Well, you still have to look your best, right? No dark circles around the eyes. It'll be bad for the image." I also laughed as I stood up. I wasn't dizzy anymore. I looked at the window to the pool and saw that it was already empty. Everyone else seemed to have already gone back to the hotel or stayed at the guest rooms. I found it a bit odd that we didn't notice them leave.

"Everyone left a while ago. I think I heard them." Randy came up behind me, looking outside as well.

"I guess I better go to bed too. We still have a lot to do before the flight." I turned around and gave Randy a warm smile. "Goodnight Randy."

"Goodnight Diane." He smiled back at me. "I had fun."

"Me too." I admitted. Somehow I sorted out that whatever Randy was accused of before wasn't true. He was a very nice person. "Where are you going to stay for the night?"

"I have a car up front so I'm going to go back to the hotel." He told me. "The guest rooms are probably filled by now anyways. How about you?"

"I'm staying at one of the guestrooms with Trish."

"Trish is staying at the guestroom?" He seemed taken aback. "Shouldn't she be, like, sleeping with John?"

I cringed a bit as I heard that. I guess I should learned not to be surprised when hearing that 'Trish is sleeping with John'.

"Well..yeah. You have a point." I looked down and thought hard. I promised Trish that I would sleep next to her tonight but then again if she wasn't there in the guestroom, I might not be able to sleep since I'd just think about her being with John. I still have our hotel room keys with me anyways and there'd be no one there now. Maria and Phil probably slept together inside one of the guestrooms too. There'd be no place for me inside the house.

"I promised Trish I'd sleep next to her tonight." I fidgeted as I remembered what I had promised her earlier.

"Well," He scratched the back of his head and grinned at me. "You promised her you'd swim too, yet not even your hair is wet. I don't think she'll mind you not keeping your word once in a while."

I gave out a relieved laugh. "You're right."


	6. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the late update, been busy. Please tell me what you think of the story. Reviews are very much appreciated! Message me for suggestions, too. Thanks. -D**

**Chapter 5**

I felt the sunlight touch eyes as I slowly opened them. My head was hurting so much from last night but I managed to sit up on the bed. I rubbed my temples a bit and looked around, my memory slowly bringing back what happened last night. The hotel room was empty and most of the things were untouched. My clothes and things from last night were on the chair beside the window. I looked down at myself and saw that I was wearing a t-shirt, whom that t-shirt belonged to, I wasn't so sure. I took my cell from the bedside table and checked the time. It was already 11 in the morning.

Trish called my phone for about 10 times, all of which were calls from early this morning. However, she left only one message:

_Did you leave with Randy Orton?_

My memory from last night was a blur but I do remember leaving with Randy. There were no rooms left in John's house so I decided to go back to the hotel with him. Of Course, we didn't sleep in the same room. He went back to his and I stayed at the room intended for Trish and I. Nothing happened other than that.

_Why was Trish so worried, anyway? _I thought as I stood up. I pulled the blinds and allowed the sun to come inside of the room. Outside, people were starting their day. The streets were busy and everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. I watched as a couple gave each other a quick kiss before going their separate ways. My heart throbbed a bit when I realized I haven't done that act with anyone in a long time.

I was surprised when I heard a knock on the door. They were quick, loud beats that obliged me to run and greet whoever it was there. I opened it and saw Trish. She had a mad expression on her face and John was behind her, his expression unreadable.

"What the hell, Diane!" She shouted as she pushed me inside. "Why weren't you answering your phone?"

John followed us as we got in the room. I watched as he closed the door behind him and looked at both Trish and me.

"What? I just woke up." I snapped back at Trish, my anger setting in. "Why are you so worried anyway?"

"You left with Randy Orton last night! That was, what? 4 in the morning?" He raised her eyebrow at me. "You expect me not to get worried? You guys didn't come back!"

"Trish, I had nowhere to sleep in. I couldn't find you anywhere! What do you expect me to do, sleep in the living room or something? Of course I'm going to go back to the hotel!"

"You didn't leave any messages!" He argued and then pointed at my body. "You're even wearing his t-shirt for Christ's sake!"

I looked down at myself and realized that it was true. Nevertheless, I knew that nothing happened to us. Randy probably gave me a shirt because I was too sleepy to function.

"Did you sleep with him?" Somehow I realized that question was coming. I looked at John and his eyes showed emotion. It was as if he was asking me the same question through his eyes. He looked afraid.

"I better go out for a while." He mumbled as he quickly rushed out of the room.

Trish didn't seem to notice John's tension as she stared at me with the same expression on her face. She seemed to have come up with her own conclusion.

"No, I didn't." I told her as I looked back at her. "We talked, we came back here and that was it. Why the hell are you reacting this way?"

"Because I'm worried about you lil' sis! We don't know Randy that well and then there's this issue about him-"

"Can you just stop it?" I shouted at her. "I'm not your little sister! We were born on the same fricking day! And Randy is a great guy, you shouldn't judge him that way!"

"C'mon, Diane. I know we're old now, but I don't expect you to function without me. No matter how much you deny it, you know that you need me to guide you. I'm only looking out for you. You've made some wrong decisions with men before, don't try to fool yourself again, Diane."

I felt my face growing hotter. She'd said the words that I never wanted to hear.

"Get out." I told her as I looked down. "Please, just leave before I say anything bad."

She suddenly became quiet and I stood there trying to calm myself down. I heard her slowly walk out and closed the door behind her.

My tears started falling as I sat back down at the bed. Trish knew all about my past and yet she still brought it up.

All my life I've been unlucky in love. I guess you can say that I've never met someone that I've been really serious with. Everytime I meet a new guy and become close to him, he just always ends up leaving me. I guess my past rejections never really mattered to me until I met Chase.

I was 19 years old back then. I had my whole life ahead of me and I was enjoying my last year of college.

I left my dorm keys in a grocery store one day and I was beyond worried. My dorm mate was always so strict when it came to the keys and she'd be really furious if she found out that I lost them. I went back to the grocery store only to find out that they haven't seen the keys nor do they knew who found them. I knew for sure that I was going to pay my dorm mate just to make it up to her.

I walked back to the dorm and there he was standing in front of the porch. He was wearing a gray sweater and had the most beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes I have ever seen. He smiled at me as if he knew me and walked towards me. He gave me a warm smile as he said,

"I think you lost these." He showed me my set of keys and a smile quickly spread on my face. In my relief, I leaned in and gave him a hug.

"I'm Chase." His smile was contagious that I couldn't help but smile too.

"I'm Diane." We shook hands I immediately felt the spark between us.

Ever since that day, he started coming over to the dorm. Soon, we were eating and going out together. He was the first guy I ever liked and it seemed like he felt the same thing for me. Months went by and I knew that I was falling for him. I wanted to tell him but I didn't know how. I was scared because I liked him so much.

I planned a few months before graduation that I would tell him how I really feel. I was undeniably in love with him. However, what he revealed to me shocked me beyond words. He was seeing someone else.

"Diane, I really liked you before but when we became close, I realized that I couldn't risk our friendship." His words crushed every part of me. "I hope we can still be friends."

But I couldn't agree with that. How could he have stopped liking me when all the while I was falling for him? I couldn't stand to see him with someone else so I avoided him since then.

Trish knew how much I was hurt. During this time she was starting her modeling career and she was always seeing someone. She felt like she had more experience than me and ever since she vowed to help me with my love life. She promised she would stop me from falling in love with the wrong guy again.

At first I was okay with it but as time passed, every boy I liked seem to be wrong with her. Petty things would cause her to worry about me. I understand that she cares but it's made me feel like I couldn't make my own decisions anymore. It's like I couldn't even do anything without her consent. She was living my life for me and I didn't like it. This issue caused us to fight often.

The most hurtful thing she ever said about me during a fight was that I was living in a bubble. I was just fooling myself into thinking that Chase liked me because I was lonely. She said that no one would like me because of my predictability and my insecurities.

It was one thing that would break me completely. Those simple words, _you're fooling yourself._

"I guess that maybe I am fooling myself with John too." I said to myself as I curled up in the bed, my tears showing no signs of stopping.

*

I arrived at the airport around 6 in the evening. My big sunglasses covered my red and puffy eyes from view. I wasn't in the mood for anything. I was just looking forward to arriving in Paris, France and enjoying a different scene, a better one. As for Trish, I haven't seen her since she left the hotel. I figured she must already be in the airport with John. Hell, I really don't care.

Maria helped me pack my things in the hotel. She heard Trish and I fighting and decided to just come over when I was calmer. She consoled me a bit and told me she believed me. I really appreciate her for that. We both came to the airport together along with Phil.

As we arrived at the waiting station, I immediately spotted John and Trish together. They were waiting at a bench with their luggage and Trish looked like she was lost in thought. They we're sitting next to each other but it seemed like they were both in different worlds. Maria and Phil sat down at one of the benches adjacent to John and Trish's.

Maria moved a bit and gave me a space to sit down.

"No thanks." I shook my head. "I'm going to go get some coffee, do you mind watching my bags for me?"

"No Problem." She gave me a small smile. "But come back soon. Our flight's leaving in not more than half an hour."

I nodded as I moved my luggage closer to them, grabbing my shoulder bag and sprinting towards the Starbucks not far from the waiting area. Immediately after coming inside the store, I felt cold. I crossed my arms as I stood in line, patiently watching as the people in front of me started to decide on what to buy. I was wearing a gray sweater, denim jeans and black knee-high boots that Maria handpicked for me. Paris in autumn would be sweet and I was more than excited. Maybe the beautiful places would distract me from the pain I was feeling. Who knows, maybe I'd even meet a beautiful foreigner there. Then I'd forget all about John and my stupid feelings for him.

"Hey."

A familiar voice came up from behind, shaking both my thoughts and me. I looked back and saw Randy slowly come in line. He gave me a small, somehow apologetic, smile.

"I heard about what happened to you and Trish. Are you okay?"

I looked away, not wanting him to see my eyes. Despite my sunglasses, I felt insecure. It was as if Randy could easily see through me, I don't want him to see how vulnerable I am.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I mumbled. "I'm sorry you have to be involved in all this."

"I should be the one apologizing. I should've told Trish that I would bring you back to the hotel so she wouldn't get mad."

"She's not my mother." I snapped back. "I don't need to ask permission from her for anything."

"Well.. She's your sister I guess she was just worried." He scratched his head and smiled. "I don't really have the greatest image around here."

I looked at him but said nothing.

"I know you heard all about these rumors." He gave out a small laugh. "Trish loves you. She's just protecting you from the 'bad guys'." He raised both of his hands and made a quotation mark gesture.

I gave out a small laugh as well. "You're not bad, Randy."

"Well, we're not sure about that, are we?" He winked at me and ushered me forward making me realize that it was my turn to order.

"Uhm..One mocha frappe please."

"Make that two." He cut me. "It's my treat."

"Two mocha frappe. Anything else sir?" The blonde cashier looked at Randy and smiled.

He looked at the food through the glass and pointed at the donuts served there. "Two donuts please."

"Right away sir." The girl seemed to be in awe with Randy. She stared at him for a moment before finally doing her job.

I took out 3 dollars from my pocket and handed them to Randy. "Here."

He looked at me and started laughing. "I just said I would treat you."

"You really don't have to-"

"I want to." He looked at me straight in the eyes and then back to the cashier as he handed her some money. "Thanks, babe."

I took my drink from the girl and Randy did the same, taking one drink with his right hand and taking the paper bag with the other. We walked out of the shop and to the waiting area where Maria and Phil were waiting.

"Hey." Maria seemed surprised to see Randy and me together. "Hi guys."

"Hey there." Randy greeted her with enthusiasm. "I hope you don't mind me stealing her from you before the flight?"

She gave a warm smile in response. "No problem with me. She sure needs some company. She and Trish are not really in good terms now."

"Do you think Trish would mind?"

"Nope. It's fine. Diane is making her own choices anyways."

"Great." Randy smiled.

"But, there's not much time left though. We're leaving in 15 minutes." Maria reminded him.

"Yeah, I'd just sit with her here." He pointed at one of the benches.

"Uhm, I'm right here." I said out loud, trying to remind them they we're talking about me in my face.

Randy motioned me to the bench on the other side, the one that was directly in front of Trish.

"Wrong choice." I whispered to him as he pulled me down beside him.

"Great choice actually." His gave me a smug look as he took out one of the donuts and took a bite out of it.

I shrugged and took a sip of my drink, trying to not look straight at Trish. She and John were in the same position as I last saw them except that now, they seemed to have noticed me too. John stared at me from afar and I couldn't help but feel conscious. His eyes started to pierce my whole being and I tried hard to pretend that he wasn't there. I wondered what he could possibly be feeling right now.

"You still think I'm a good person?" Randy's voiced echoed to my ears despite the noise inside the airport. I turned to him and gave him a smile.

"If you think letting me sit in front of Trish would change my image of you, then you're wrong." I watched as his expression changed, he seemed surprised. "Thanks for the drink, by the way."

"You want to know a secret, Diane?"

"What?"

He leaned in closer to me until our faces were just about an inch apart from each other.

"I feel like I can trust you."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Really? He said that?" Maria looked up at me from her seat. Her left eye was already made up with black eye shadow while the other was still nude. I was halfway through her make-up for another photo shoot for . We were inside a beautiful hotel in France for Maria's lingerie shoot. The set consisted of a huge bed filled with roses and lace sheets. Beside the dresser was the huge rack of lingerie that Maria handpicked herself.

"Yeah, he did." I said as I took another eye shadow brush from the nearby table. I dabbed some black powder on Maria's right eye and started to smoke it. "I was touched actually."

"You know, in between the free frappe and the word 'trust', I think this guy has a crush on you." She told me as she struggled to keep her eyes closed.

"He does not have a crush on me." I rebutted immediately. "We're just friends."

"Hey girls." We were surprised to see Phil arrive. He headed to Maria and quickly planted a kiss on her lips.

"Hey, watch the make up." I scolded him as he sat on the chair beside her.

"Baby, you came." Maria beamed as he gave Phil a quick kiss as well. She turned to me and smiled. "Sorry, that's the last kiss for now."

"I still have nothing to do until after lunchtime. I think Randy and I are going to visit a mall or something. Maybe just some autograph signing." Phil told us.

"Funny, we we're just talking about Randy!" Maria chuckled a bit as I resumed putting makeup on her face. "Babe, don't you think Randy has a thing for Diane?"

Phil laughed as he looked at me. "Yeah, I actually thought you guys were going out. It's weird 'cause I never thought Randy would ever find a girl here. He was always the mysterious kind, he never shares anything about his love life."

"First of all," I looked at him. "Randy and I aren't dating. Second, you guys shouldn't assume things like that. Randy might have a girlfriend for Heaven's sake!"

"He doesn't have one. He broke it off with his last girlfriend a few months ago. Don't ask me where I heard that from." Maria said quickly as she kept her eyes closed.

I raised my eyebrow at her.

"Really, don't ask." Phil warned me. "Maria has this habit of looking for rumors about herself. She ends up knowing every latest gossip from the Internet. It's not normal."

"It's normal!" She argued. "I just want to know what people think of me. Is that bad? It's not like I went searching about other people's lives on purpose." He looked at Phil and then to me. "Anyways Diane, you should go out with him."

"No, I'm not going to go out with him. We're friends." I motioned her to keep still. "Let me finish your makeup!"

'Your last relationship was, what? College?" She asked started to think out loud. "Hmm.. Come to think of it, you haven't really shared anything about boys with me, Diane. Don't you fancy anyone in the WWE?"

_I'm in love with John. _I thought to myself.

"Diane," Phil sounded surprised when I remained quiet. "You're not..?"

"What?" I looked at him and saw the anticipation in his eyes. I immediately understood what he was thinking. "HELL NO! I'M NOT A LESBIAN!" I shouted. "Not like there's something wrong with being one, it's just that I prefer guys, thankyouverymuch."

"Damn." I heard him mutter under his breath and we all started to laugh. I resumed putting the finishing touches on Maria's make-up and soon everyone was busy with the shoot. I didn't want to hinder in any way so I decided to leave the set about half an hour after they began.

It was weird to be in Paris and not have time to visit places. I've always loved Europe and I was beyond ecstatic when I found out that we were going to tour here. First times were always meaningful. I walked to the unoccupied living room and started to gaze outside the window. The Eiffel tower could be clearly seen from my perspective, it stood beautifully as if it was calling me. I was right, the view of Paris in the morning indeed made me feel better. It was surreal.

"Hey."

I jumped back, surprised. "Maria! I didn't hear you approach me. Are you guys finished?"

"Yup!" She gave me a huge grin. "I hate to disturb you but I just had a wonderful idea to cheer you up!"

I placed a hand on my waist. "What do you have in mind exactly?"

She pulled my hand as we rushed to the next room where the photo shoot was being held. She covered my eyes immediately when we got inside and I knew then that she had a surprise for me. I love surprises.

"Tada!" I felt her release her hands and I shook my head a few times to improve my vision.

Everything seemed to be the same except for a pair of pink lace lingerie that was on the bed. I felt everyone staring at me for a few moments as if waiting for my reaction.

"What am I supposed to do?" I turned to Maria as I felt the hair on my back slowly stand up.

"Since we wanted to cheer you up and we finished my photo shoot early, we came up with the idea to take pictures of you!"

"W-wearing that?" I stuttered as I pointed at the lingerie that was neatly arranged on the bed.

"Of course!" She said in a confident tone. "C'mon! Dress down!"

"No! no! no!" I stepped backwards as I tried to push Maria away. "I'm not going to do this."

"C'mon Diane! Trish does this everytime, I'm sure you don't look any different." Mike, the photographer, urged me as well.

"It's WAY different, believe me."

"Go Diane!" I heard Phil shout as he stood by the doorway. Everyone seemed to have their eyes glued on me.

"Diane, we can always say it's not you, right?" Maria winked at me. "If it doesn't turn out as planned, then we can say its Trish. No one would notice!"

"Is there even a way out of this?" I asked as I surrendered.

"Honestly, no." Maria gave me the biggest smile she could possible give.

*

I went back to my hotel room later that night feeling tired and lethargic. I've spent the whole day busily prepping the divas for whatever task they had to do. Trish and I saw each other earlier in the day but we didn't talk to each other. We both managed to act professionally so everything went by smoothly. I did her makeup and that was it, she left without saying a word. Somehow neither of us felt like we should reconcile. I definitely didn't want to apologize for something that I did not do.

I dropped my makeup bag by the side of the door like always and saw Candice sitting on the bed close to mine. She looked agitated as she looked at me. It was as if she wanted to tell me something.

"Did you hear about what happened?" She asked as I sat on my bed and started taking off my boots.

"No. What?" I asked her back as I removed my leather jacket and headed towards the bathroom.

"Trish and John broke up."

For a brief moment, my world fell quiet. I stopped on my tracks and shot a serious look at Candice to know if she was telling the truth or not. She just stared back at me with an unreadable expression and that was when I knew that she was saying the truth.

"When? How?" I walked to her as quickly as I could, determined to squeeze the news out of her.

She shrugged. "Just today. I guess they got tired of each other. I heard it was a mutual decision, although I think Trish feels really bad. She looked depressed when I saw her an hour ago."

"Where's she now?"

"In hotel room she's sharing with Maria. I didn't think she went out or anything." She explained as she positioned herself on the bed, getting ready to sleep. "I just thought you'd want to know. Maybe you should comfort her, I bet she'd appreciate it. As for me, I'm dead tired so I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." I mumbled a reply.

I debated as I approached the bathroom and opened the faucet, watching as the water flowed directly to the sink. I tried to think of what to say to Trish to make her feel better and to make me feel less guilty at the same time.

_I hope that I had nothing to do with the break up._ I repeated to myself as I started washing my face. The cold water seemed to relax me a bit and release my stress. Despite the amount of time I've spent moving away from John, there was still a tiny part of me that wondered about what he truly felt for me. I need to know if what happened to us even mattered to him even for a bit.

I went back inside the room and saw Candice fast asleep. I decide to change into my pajamas and sit down at the sofa, still trying to figure out what to do.

Sighing, I stood up and headed out of the door determined to talk to Trish. I maybe a bitch sometimes but I can never brush off instances such as this. Despite what she said, Trish is my sister and I love her. We can settle our differences later on.

_She probably feels so alone._ I told myself as I walked barefoot on the hallway, stopping in front of her door.

I hesitated for a while before finally knocking. A few quiet moments passed and still nobody answered the door. I finally figured that maybe Trish was already asleep so I retreated.

When I was walking, I heard the hotel door open and saw Trish standing there. She looked surprised to see me.

I walked towards her slowly, taking a breath as I walked each step. "Hey, I heard what happened to you and John. Are you okay?"

She stared at me and her eyes started to water. I was surprised when she jumped at me and hugged me.

"Diane, I'm so sorry about what I said." She told me in between sobs. "I never meant to hurt you. I'm really sorry."

I sighed and hugged her back. "I forgive you. I'm sorry for not telling you about Randy too. I just figured there was just really nothing to say. We're just friends."

"I know. I guess I got overly protective and I just never want to see you get hurt again." She released me and looked directly into my eyes. "But I promise not to be that way again. I'm really sorry."

There was sadness in her eyes that made me feel guilty. She must've felt my uneasiness so she gave me a small smile.

"I'm okay." She said in a manner that was somehow convincing. "We agreed that it wasn't working anymore. John didn't seem to be happy with me any longer and I don't want to force him into something that he's not happy with."

I looked down and said nothing.

"I'm so glad you came to see me, though." She beamed at me. "From now on I promise you, your love life is off-limits to me."

Somehow the way she said those words convinced me.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

John and Trish broke up countless times before and during those instances, I always tried to be neutral and sympathetic to both sides. In this case, however, it seemed like I had no choice but to be in with Trish because I didn't want to talk to John and ask him about what he truly felt or why he agreed to such decision. I was afraid to know the truth. I felt that if he would be honest with me, I'd just end up knowing the fact that he never liked me and that his decision had nothing to do with me.

Weeks passed and Trish seemed to be fine with everything. We've been touring Europe since last month, stopping places such as Greece, London and Ireland. Just yesterday we arrived here in Italy. Trish busied herself with work and wrestling training, hardly showing negative emotion towards what happened, it was as if she wanted to forget it altogether and just move on. I tried to do the same.

_Okay, Diane. Just a few more strokes to go._ I repeated the words in my head over and over to make me feel better. My back was aching and I felt the beads of sweat form on my forehead as I continued applying makeup on Candice's face. It was the going to be a live show tonight and we've been rushing to prepare since we arrived late in the coliseum due to some transportation issues. We should've arrived at around 5pm but since our cars arrived late, we got to the location at around a quarter to 7pm. Everyone went crazy and tried to prepare as fast as they could since the show was scheduled to start in an hour and a half. I didn't have any chance to sit down since we arrived because I immediately started working on the divas as soon as we got inside the locker room.

Candice was the last diva to be worked on so I've been exerting all of my effort to make her up. I've been consoling myself with the idea of a hot coffee and a soft chair as soon as I finish with her.

"Diane, you should slow down." Candice advised, seeming to feel my tension as well.

"I can't. You'll be on in 15 minutes, you have to look perfect." I said the words too fast that it almost sounded garbled. I never took my eyes and hands off of Candice's face. Each brush stroke on her eyelids illustrated my desire to finish fast and to rest immediately. It seemed like my spine would break any minute now, the strain seemed to be flowing from my legs up to the back of my head. Having no professional space to work in definitely contributes to this, especially since I had to stand for hours doing so.

Every stroke of my eyeshadow brush seemed to hypnotize me until I felt my cellphone vibrate inside the pocket of my denim shorts, distracting me. I finished mixing the black and blue colors in Candice's eyelids, carefully keeping my precision. Candice opened her eyes and beamed at me. She looked perfect. The makeup I did for her matched her blue dress beautifully.

She thanked me as she stood up from the stool and walked into the shower room. I sighed in relief as I sat down on her now empty seat. My butt felt great, it was as if I could hear the angels singing down at me, as I felt comfortable again. I took out my phone from my pocket and was surprised to see Randy's name flash on the screen.

_There's someone waiting for you outside._

I became curious as to whom but I realized that I'd never know the reason if I didn't obeyed. I got to the hallway and looked around. Everyone was busy with the preparations of the show and it seemed like no one had been waiting for me. I walked to the end of the hallway then back, finally surrendering. I sighed when I realized that I'd just probably fell for a prank.

"That was quick."

I jumped and turned around just to see Randy smirking at me. He was holding two cups of coffee in both hands.

"Randy!" I gave out a startled cry. "You scared the hell out of me!"

He laughed, showing off his neat, white teeth. "Sorry about that."

_Oh God. He looks so cute. _I found myself thinking as I looked at him.

My cheeks got warmer when I realized that he was already in his wrestling attire. He was wearing black wrestling briefs and a WWE T-shirt with his name on it. His black knee-high boots along with his kneepads completed his look making it seemed like he was all set for the show.

I looked away, trying to not to fix my eyes on his. "What are you doing here?"

"You didn't get my text?"

I just nodded in response. Randy and I have been hanging out frequently since last month. There have been rumors about us but we just shrugged it off, there was no need to explain anyway. We were two different people but it seemed like we were the perfect counterparts, we're really close friends and there was nothing more to it.

"I bought you one. I figured you'd be so tired and I didn't want you to go near the coffee machine yourself." He told me with a smile. "Here."

"Thanks. That's so sweet." I stared at him for a while before finally taking the cup of coffee. "You really didn't have to."

"I want to." He winked at me and pointed at the seats by the side of the door. We walked together and sat down side by side, saying nothing.

The hair in my arms stood up when I felt his leg brush against mine as we sat there silently. His skin was warm and I couldn't help but chuckle when I felt the body oil from his leg dampen my left leg as well.

"Sorry." His deep voice seemed amused. "I have to put body oil before matches so I'd look better for the cameras. It also makes submissions and holds easier."

"It's okay." I mumbled as I took a sip from my coffee. "You already look great but I guess it helps."

He looked at me and I couldn't help but smile at how noticeable I was when I flirted with him. Obviously, something in this coffee made me like Randy. It's either that or I've developed a very unhealthy schoolgirl crush on him because of his body oil. Shit.

"So, you're done for the day?" He asked me as he took a sip of coffee.

"Hopefully." I sighed in relief. "My back feels like Big Show stepped on it."

We both laughed when we saw Big Show, a 7-foot tall wrestler for the company, pass by and give us a bad look.

A few moments passed and we found ourselves with nothing more to say. It was weird that I'd feel this way for Randy now. I guess being with him everyday contributed somehow. He never fails to amaze me everytime, he was always so sweet and perfect.

"It's those damn briefs." I whispered to myself as I took another sip of coffee.

"What?" He turned to me.

"I said, what a relief!" I quickly replied, hoping he didn't hear what I just mentioned.

People were coming in and out of the hallway and rooms but somehow it didn't distract us. It was like we were in a bubble and people couldn't affect us even if they tried.

Except for one person.

John was sitting a few chairs from where Randy and I were. He seemed to be ready for the show too and was just waiting for his cue. He looked back at us and I saw the astonishment in his eyes. It seemed like he didn't see us there earlier, it appears like he just got there a few moments ago.

"Hey there!" Randy greeted him with a smile.

"Hey." John smiled back making my heart skip a beat. "Didn't see you guys there."

"We were just taking some time off and drinking coffee. What's your match tonight?"

"Single against Big Show. Not much." John replied. I looked away and tried my best to act nonchalantly. His mere presence gave me the butterflies.

"We'll be on in a while." Randy said as he stood up. He took my empty cup and grinned down at me. "I'll be back, I'll just throw these."

I couldn't think of a point to argue so I just watched him walk away, leaving John and me in the most awkward situation possible. I remained still for a few seconds before finally deciding to stand up. It'd be best to just walk away like I always did in situations such as these.

"How's Trish?"

John's deep voice startled me before I started to move away. I looked down at him and he was staring at me directly, his expression sincere. I decided to sit back down.

"She's great." Was all I could reply.

"That's good to hear." He replied back. "Diane, I've been meaning to talk to you about something actually."

I held my breath and tightened my grip on the edge of my seat. There was nothing John could possibly tell me that I could think of, nothing except for Trish. If he wanted her back, why would he even use me as a bridge? Was he that emotionless?

"Wh-what about?" I stuttered while trying my best to remain calm.

"I don't think we should be this way anymore." He told me. His still had this sincere look on his face and I could feel my knees weaken. It was so unfair that after all this time John still had that same effect on me.

"I don't understand." I tried to act relaxed, as if I had not determined what he meant by that.

"Exactly." He responded. "We can't act like nothing happened between us."

I cringed. It was the first time in 7 months that I've faced the fact that something happened between John and me. I feel so unused to hearing it out loud, as if it was some sort of rumor that couldn't possibly be true.

"We're fine like this, I don't get the point on why we have to talk about that." I kept my voice low so that no one would possibly hear us.

"We're not okay, you know that." He rebutted. "Trish and I aren't together anymore. Why are we not allowed to be like before?"

"Trish not being your girlfriend does not erase the fact that she loved you." I looked at him directly in the eyes. "She still loves you. You don't expect her to just brush off her 2-year relationship with you, do you?"

"I'm not saying that!" His shoulders fell back as if in surrender. "All I'm implying is that we should try to bring back what we had."

"Why?"

"Because it was special." I felt my body stiffen with those words. John looked at me in the way that I could not possibly explain. It was as if he was pleading with me through his eyes. I tried to control myself, thinking that with 'special' he really meant as a friend.

"Yeah, sure." I answered, looking away. "I guess we can be friends."

Just in time, Randy walked back to us. He had a huge smirk on his face as he did so. I sat up and walked to him, taking him by surprise as I grabbed and hugged him tightly, the exact way I wanted to hug John right at that moment. I felt his hard chest against my face as I buried myself in him, trying to drown away my feelings for John.

"Thanks for the coffee." I said, removing my grip on him. He stared down at me with a surprised expression on his face.

"No problem." He told me, obviously taken aback with what I just did. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired." I looked at John. "It was nice talking to you."

He nodded at me and gave me a small smile. Hopefully he never saw it in my face that I wanted to hug him so badly. I glanced at Randy, giving a small smile before I quickly walked away.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

I kept walking and walking, not really sure of where I was going. I just wanted out of this place and go somewhere I could relax and think thoroughly. John's words were still in my head, repeating over and over like a broken radio.

_It was special. We were special. You were special._

What does he exactly mean by that anyway? That he looked at me in a different light but still not the way he looked at Trish? Or maybe he wanted me there so he could satisfy himself anytime, minus the effort? Oh God, now I feel so cheap.

I looked at my feet as I sprinted down the hallway. It seemed like my body was acting on it's own, not wanting to reflect or consider other options other than to go away. Suddenly, I bumped into someone, hitting my head in his chest. The collision caused me to fly backwards a bit but I managed to regain my balance instead of falling to the ground.

"Whoa there horsie!" It was Vince McMahon, the owner of the company, who was looking down at me with a troubled expression on his face. "Are you okay Ms. Stratagias?"

I tried to fix myself in the subtlest way possible. It was more than awkward to bump into your boss like that. "I'm sorry, sir."

"It's okay, no one got injured." He gave me a warm smile as he fixed his grey suit. "Seems like you're in a hurry, is something wrong?"

"No, sir." I kept my eyes on the floor. "I was just rushing outside to get some fresh air. Things have been hard recently."

"I heard about your sister and Mr. Cena." He declared in a voice that was obviously distinct. "I guess we are all tired. Why don't you take the day off tomorrow? You look like you could use some sleep."

I blinked at him making sure that I was hearing the right thing. "Day off?"

"Yes. There's not much to do after the show anyways and I bet there are make-up artists intended for whatever photo shoot the divas are doing. I'll provide a driver for you tomorrow." He tapped my shoulder as he started to walk away. "Take Care of yourself, kid."

"Thank you so much Sir!" I called after him as he disappeared into the hallway, a bunch of guards following after him. I must've looked so bad for him to conclude that I lacked sleep, but I didn't care. I'd gladly look bad everyday if it means that I'd get a day off every week.

Suddenly, everything John said was like a distant memory. I just wanted to fall asleep.

*

One of the things I loved the more than coffee was not waking up early in the morning. Aside from feeling and looking refreshed, it also gives me an optimistic mindset. As soon as I woke up, I could feel the positive energy surround me. I jumped out of the hotel bed in my pajamas and quickly took my cell phone from the bedside table. I suddenly had the urge to talk to my dad.

I dialed his number and listened as it started ringing.

"Hello?" My dad's voice was hoarse as if he just woke up.

"Dad!" I screamed. "How are you?"

"Diane!" He sounded surprised. "My Goodness sweetie, why are you calling at this time of night? It's 1 in the morning! What time is it there? "

"It's 11 am here in Italy." I pushed the window blinds and beamed at the amazing view of Venice. "The place is amazing, Dad. The weather, the view, everything. It would've been great if you and mom came here with us."

"Dear, I'm sure it's beautiful, but you know me and your mom aren't fond of traveling. The farthest we've been to is the garden in the backyard!"

I gave out a small chuckle. "Sorry for calling late dad. I just needed to hear your voice."

"Aww baby," He sighed. "You and Trish are not in a fight again, are you? I swear you girls should start learning to compromise!"

"No, dad." I rebutted, finally closing the blinds and moving back to the bed. "We didn't fight. We're fine."

"That's good to hear. She's not depressed, is she?"

"No. I don't think so."

"You? How are you coping?" His question troubled me but I shook it off. "We all know your sister gets too emotional sometimes but just understand her, she's just used to getting everything all of the time."

"Yeah, I know."

"Are you not working today?" He inquired.

"Mr. McMahon actually gave me a day off. He even provided a car for me today. He's so nice!" I headed to the bathroom to check my reflection on the mirror. "It's like an answered prayer. It's exactly what I needed."

"I'm sure you deserve it, Diane." I had the feeling he was smiling. "You work pretty hard, I'm so proud of you."

"Love you Dad. It was nice talking to you. I miss you so much." I sighed.

"I love and miss you more, dear." His voice was soothing yet somehow rough. "You take care always. Remember what I always tell you.."

"Do what makes you happy and live without regrets." We both said in unison.

"Yes, Dad. I will. Sleep well. Bye." I hung up and faced myself in the mirror once again, immediately seeing the difference sleep makes to my face. I gave myself a warm smile as I quickly made my way to the shower, determined to not waste any time. Today was my day and no one would be able to change that, it was as if God has planned this for me- a well-deserved break for Diane Stratagias. It was more than perfect. Me alone to wander in the streets of Venice!

I prepared the best way that I can, putting on a pretty red sundress that fell right above my knees and white wrap around sandals. I also took time making myself up, I was so used to making other people pretty that I felt it was my turn to feel that way now. After finishing, I took a final look at myself at the bedroom mirror. When I was satisfied, I grabbed my shoulder bag and sunglasses and headed downstairs.

"Wait for me!" I shouted as I saw the elevator almost closing. I ran as fast as I could and was surprised to see Randy holding the door for me. He was wearing a gray affliction t-shirt and denim jeans. He examined me as I ran towards him.

"Hey!" He looked at me and smirked. "Someone looks beautiful today."

"Thanks. Now you made me think of how bad I usually look." I laughed as we both went inside.

"So, do you have a date or something?" He was staring at me intently.

"Not really. Just a day off." I replied as I checked my bag, making sure I didn't leave anything behind. "I'm gonna go sight-seeing."

"Sucks that I have work today." He scratched his head. "I wanted to sight-see too."

The elevator arrived at the ground floor. Randy ushered me outside and we stood there for a brief moment. He kept on glancing at me as if he wanted to tell me something.

"You look really pretty." He said after a while.

"Thank you." I blushed a little as I smiled back.

He crossed his arms in front of himself. "Aren't you going to compliment me back?" His smirk was hilarious.

"Why should I?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Well.." He walked towards me until we were an inch apart from each other. "The way you hugged me yesterday gave it away, Diane."

"Gave what away?"

He chuckled a bit and pouted his lips, something he does when he's feeling a bit arrogant, I observed.

"You don't have to be shy because we're friends, Diane." He told me. "I know you have a crush on me."

I started laughing and tapping his arm, as he stood stationary in front of me. I just couldn't stop myself from laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"You, my friend, are delusional." I said in between giggles. "That's why you're cute, Randy. Keep it up." I pulled him down and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"That's it? You're not going to admit it?" He asked me as I walked away.

"Nice talking to you, Randy!" I bid him goodbye and walked straight to the hotel lobby.

"Good Afternoon Ms. Stratagias." The receptionist greeted me as soon as I got to the lobby. I headed to her and greeted her with a smile.

"Good Afternoon! There's a car for me?" I gave her the toothiest grin possible. I just couldn't hide my excitement.

"Yes, your companion is already there. It's the white car up front." Her thick Italian accent made it a bit hard for me to understand what she was saying.

"Companion?" I wondered.

She nodded. "He's just got here too. Enjoy your day, Miss."

The positive energy I had with me was suddenly altered. Butterflies started to form in my stomach as I walked to the car parked up front. The guards greeted me with a smile as they escorted me to the car.

The moment they opened the door I was shocked to see John inside. He had the exact same surprised emotion on his face.


	10. Chapter 9

**REVIEWS INSPIRE ME! Keep em coming please! :)**

**Chapter 9**

My jaw dropped and I felt my palms sweating like crazy. I tried to think of a more positive thought to this situation to make myself feel better.

_Maybe John really isn't supposed to be here. I might have gotten to the wrong car._

"I'm sorry." I blurted as I stood outside, looking in. "This isn't the car for me, right?"

"What car is it you're looking for exactly?" John asked me as he stared at me curiously. He wasn't aware that I was noticing how he started to ball his fists a bit. I was starting to feel uneasy too but I managed to brush the feeling off.

"See, Vince McMahon told me to take the day off. He promised he'd provide a car for me, so yeah, I'm looking for that car." I explained as fast as I could.

"Well, this is it." John's reply was almost a murmur. Somehow I'd heard it perfectly and the idea made me froze. He seemed to be somewhat surprised as well.

"We're leaving..together?" The nervousness was so obvious in my voice that it made me scold myself inside.

"Scusarmi, la signorina." The driver interrupted John before he could answer my question. "I'm the only driver. Mi chiamo Cristiano." He pointed at himself then smiled at me.

"Nice to meet you." I gave him a small smile back. Basing from his looks, Cristiano was only a bit older than us, maybe around his late 30's. His smile was warm as if to calm me. I assumed that I must've looked like I needed some reassurance.

"Are you sure this is the only car?" I asked him.

"Si." He nodded at me.

I nodded back at him then looked back at John, feeling helpless. There was nothing else I could do but to go inside the car, so I did. I went inside and sat as far away from John as possible. It wasn't because I hated him or anything. It would just be somewhat awkward if we would bump knees or something like that, at least for me.

Despite the gap between us, there was an obvious tension between John and I. I looked out of the window and sighed unconsciously. There I was thinking that I'd have this day all for myself only to be confronted otherwise. The car started to leave at the same time my thoughts drifted away. Obviously Mr. McMahon didn't mean for this to happen, he never knew what happened between John and me, I'm sure his intentions were good. I got my sense of guarantee from that idea.

"We don't necessarily have to go to each place together. We can drop you off where you want to then agree to meet somewhere so we can ride the car back to the hotel." John seemed to have come up with a solution.

I looked at him and nodded. "Yeah sure."

He gave me a small smile showing off his dimples. "Where are you planning to go first?"

I swallowed a lump on my throat and subtly rubbed my sweaty palms on my dress. Those dimples of his were like my own kryptonite- it could make me weak in just one instance. In some way, I managed to find my voice after a short while. "I was planning on going shopping for a while in the thrift stores by the side of St. Mark's square. I guess we're lucky enough to have come this season, they're holding their last minute sale before the winter season. Maybe I'll start from there."

"Wow, that's great." He looked at his wristwatch then back at me. "It's 2 o'clock. Maybe we'll meet somewhere, let's say, around 5pm? Would you be done by that time?"

I nodded again.

"Great." He was really smiling now. "We'll meet at St Mark's Cathedral, then. It's just across of the square, the one next to the gondolas. You wouldn't miss it."

"Okay. Sure." I realize that I've done nothing but agree to what he's saying but I guess I had no better idea than what he proposed. His smile was enough to convince me to do anything. I'm basing that fact from past experience, of course.

We looked at each other for a while and I examined him like I always did. John looked way better than the last time, it was evident that he himself had a great sleep last night. He was dressed in a pale blue shirt and denim jeans that perfectly matched his eyes. He had white sneakers on and a beautiful silver watch on his left wrist. I couldn't see his hair because a yellow baseball cap covered it. His style was always laid back and that was one of the things that I admired about him. Whenever I was with John, I'd always feel like I didn't have to put on so much effort on what I looked like. I initially noticed it when we first met, a year before John and Trish started dating. Despite everything's that changed, somehow that feeling was constant.

"It's funny." His voice distracted me from my thoughts. "I thought I was the only one Vince allowed a day off."

I laughed a bit. "I was actually thinking the same thing last night. I was teasing Maria about it. Well, not so much anymore after this. "

"Well, look at the bright side." He told me. "At least we didn't get to be paired up with Kane or something. He'd be pretty hard to please." We both started laughing as we remembered Kane, a wrestler for the company. The last time he was given a day off he decided to shop in Wal-Mart and scare some unknowing kids for fun. He had a lot of fans come up to him but those kids were really frightened of him that they pushed each other as they ran out of the store.

"Yeah, too bad." I said sarcastically. "Randy wanted to go sight-see too, but I guess he had appointments that Vince couldn't cancel."

"You and Randy are getting pretty close now." John's face was somehow amused but his voice was serious.

"Yeah, he's great." I smiled. "He's one of the nicest wrestlers around. We're good friends."

"That's great to hear."

A sudden silence erupted between us and I found myself struggling with words to say. Just in time, the car halted to a stop. I looked outside of the window and saw that we had arrived in the Shopping District. People were swarming the place like bees to honey. Everyone had shopping bags on their hands and smiles on their faces. It was like I arrived in heaven.

I started to open the door handle when I heard John talking.

"Be careful. We'll meet you in the church later on, okay?" He reminded me.

"Yeah, thanks. Have fun. See you later." I opened the door and stepped outside.

"Be careful, signorina." Cristiano called out to me as well.

"Thank you Cristiano. I'll see you later." I closed the car door and watched as it started and left, turning on a street corner and disappearing completely from view.

Sighing, I somehow congratulated myself for keeping my cool around John. I almost completely forgot what it was like to talk to him like that. I was too absorbed in trying to obscure my feelings for him that I completely overlooked the fact that we were really good friends before everything got out of hand.

I took out my small map of Venice and hugged my shoulder bag as I started to walk to the market, determined to give myself a reward for my accomplishment. This day was the mark of a new chapter in my life, I was sure of it.

*

By 4:30pm, I had about 10 paper bags around me. Shopping in thrift stores was definitely my guilty pleasure. I went from buying clothes to make-up in a small span of time and soon I was feeling exhausted. My feet we're killing me so I decided to head to the church earlier than the agreed time. Holding the paper bags was a struggle so I opted to stop in front of the church and try to combine some of the paper bags together to make it easier for me. The only bag I separated from the rest was that of the black leather boots I decided to buy for Trish. She was always fond of boots so I knew it'd be perfect for her.

When I was finished, I went inside the cathedral and was immediately struck with awe. The interior of the place was surreal, the walls were gothic and the ceiling was covered with paintings of landscapes and angels. It looked was like it was taken right out of a fantasy book. I dipped my hand in the holy water basin at the side of the entrance and rubbed a cross on my forehead as I walked to the pews. I dropped the paper bags at the side of it before I kneeled and started to pray.

_Lord, I don't really know what to tell you right now. I'm sorry for what I did to Trish, there isn't a day or minute or even second that I don't think of it. I'm sorry that I did it, but I'm not sorry for falling in love with John- or staying in love with him. I know you have plans for me, good ones. Please, just give me a sign._

I looked up at the cross in the middle of the altar and felt a sudden burst of energy. It's been a while since I last attended mass because of my busy schedule, so I almost forgot what it felt like to just be inside a church. The kind of serenity and inner peace you get. I closed my eyes and tried to pull the positive energy inside of me, determined to keep it there as long as I could. I opened my eyes and slowly got up, pulling the paper bags up with me. I was surprised that John was sitting right beside me, looking at me intently as he smiled.

"Hey, sorry." I gave a small smile back. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to see how serene you looked." He replied. "What were you thinking?"

I blushed a little as I sat back down beside him. "Just, you know, the things I've done."

"Do you regret it?" I wasn't sure what he was referring to but I was fearful to ask more. He just looked at me as he waited for my answer.

"My dad taught me to never regret things." I looked back at the altar and smiled. "I don't regret anything."

I turned to him and found him staring at me again. It made me a bit self-conscious, the way his eyes seemed to be scanning my whole being. I decided to remain calm and gave him a small smile.

"Are we leaving?"

He sighed and shook his head as he looked down. "The car had to go back to the hotel for Vince. Cristiano said he'd come back for us around 7pm. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I figured you'd not finish early."

"Oh." I took my cellphone out and checked the time. it was already 5 in the afternoon. "Well, it wont hurt to wait for 2 hours, right?"

"Not if you don't mind."

I chuckled a bit as I turned to him. "John, you don't have to be so formal." I stood up and took all of my paper bags. "I don't think we can stay here for two hours, people might not be able to concentrate."

He nodded at me as he stood up, taking some of the paper bags from my hands. "I'll take some of those."

"Wait-" I tried to stop him but obviously, I couldn't do much against him because of his size. He took almost all of the paper bags except for the one with Trish's shoes inside. We both started to walk out of the Cathedral and were greeted by the heat of the almost-setting sun. The view of Venice from where we stood was beyond amazing. I immediately took out my digital camera and snapped some pictures. I've taken about a hundred pictures earlier in the day, the place was too beautiful to resist.

"Stand there." I told John as I pointed to the middle of the square where the pigeons were. As soon as he reached the center of the square, most of the pigeons flew away, startling John. He started to cover himself with the paper bags and I snapped a picture just in time the incident happened. The picture came out to be a great shot.

"Cute!" I exclaimed as I called John over. He came running to me and looked at the picture from the digital camera.

He started laughing. "I look like I have a phobia of pigeons."

"Take my picture." I handed him the digital camera and ran to John's former spot. One pigeon landed on my shoulder, as I stood motionless. A few seconds passed before John took my picture.

I said goodbye to the pigeon as I watched it fly away. John walked to me and handed me the camera.

"You look perfect here." He showed me my picture. I looked like I was actually a friend of the pigeon and it made me laugh.

"The pigeon is terrified. It looks like I would eat him." We were both laughing now. John took out something from his pocket that turned out to be bird feeds.

"I bought some earlier." He explained as he gave me some. We both started feeding the pigeons, laughing and running as we did so. We were both like kids in a playground, taking pictures and scaring pigeons like the tourists that we were. I had no idea how long it took before we finally decided to stop and rest. We sat on a nearby bench while we waited for our heartbeats to slow down. Then I realized I was hungry the moment I heard my stomach grumble.

"Want some hotdogs?" John pointed at the hotdog stand not far from where we were. I nodded and watched as he dropped the paper bags beside me and rushed to the hotdog stand. I was left with the bags and my digital camera, so I just decided to scan through the pictures. We both looked so goofy with the pigeons, I almost forgot what it was like to be this way, like I didn't have a care in the world.

After a while, John arrived with two hotdog sandwiches in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. The other bottle was squeezed in his arm. He sat down, handed me the sandwich and we both began eating silently.

"Want to go for a gondola ride before we leave?" John said after a few minutes.

The word 'gondola' immediately sparked the energy inside of me. I've always wanted to ride that and the idea that I would finally have that chance made me jump up.

"Let's go!" I exclaimed as I devoured my sandwich as fast as I can, not a very feminine thing to do, I know, but I got excited. I pulled him up and urged him.

"Move it! We have to ride before Cristiano arrives!"

"Yeah, yeah, wait!" He was laughing as he stood up and took the bags with him.

The gondolas were parked not far from St. Mark's square, in fact it was just located left of the cathedral. The dock lined up all the boats while the boatmen were waiting for customers. We were almost there when I realized that I'd been holding John's hand the whole time we walked to the location. We were actually holding hand-in-hand like an actual couple that I jumped upon comprehension. I immediately released my grip as we approached a boatman.

"Buona Sera! How may I help you lovebirds?" The boatman greeted us with a cheerful smile.

"Uhh.. we're not really a couple-"

"We'd like a boat ride please." John cut me off before I could further explain myself.

The man nodded at us. "Of Course! My boat is the best in Venice!" He had a thick Italian accent that made me smile. He seemed like he was used to greeting customers in such a lively manner. He ushered us inside his boat and made us sit down on a soft cushion by the floor. John placed the paper bags on one side before he sat down comfortably.

"Sorry about all the things. I couldn't stop myself from buying." I gave him an apologetic smile.

"No, it's fine." He replied as we tried to sit down comfortably. "Maria and Trish would probably get angry if you don't buy them something."

I cringed a bit when I heard John mention Trish. I guess he still does still think about her.

The boatman handed John a single red rose. He pointed at me as smiled at John. "Venice is the city of love, so share it my good friend. L'amore è nell'aria."

"I have no idea what he just said, but it sounded beautiful." I whispered as I started to look around.

"Let me take picture!" The boatman spotted my camera and I handed it to him carefully. He urged us to move closer to each other and I felt John put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me a little bit closer. We both smiled as the camera flashed.

"Si! Perfecto!" The boatman exclaimed as handed me back my camera and started preparing the boat for the journey.

"I think this is for you. He told me to share the love." John handed me the rose, as the boat started moving. I stared at it for a while before finally taking it.

"Thanks." I moved away a bit, I didn't like the feeling that was forming at the bottom of my stomach. Maybe riding the gondolas with John wasn't the best idea in the world and unfortunately, I just realized it now. I guess I had too much fun that I seemed to have lost sight of reality for a few hours. Being with John like this was like recreating the past, the time when we could do anything and never feel sorry for it. The time before Trish came to the picture. I don't blame her for anything, it wasn't her fault that she fell for John the same way I did. In fact, I think I should be the one to blame for all the complications, if I didn't feel this way, John and Trish would probably be so happy together.

The gondola continued to move swiftly through the water. The skies were a perfect shade of orange as the sun was setting. The view was the most romantic one I've seen my entire life. The boat turned left towards the inner city, preparing to pass under a bridge.

"You two are together?" The boatman asked as he grinned at us.

I shook my head. "We're friends."

"Ahhh." He nodded. "Us Italians believe that love is from friends. It starts there."

I gave him a small smile back but said nothing.

"Now, we shall test it." He turned to John. "Kiss her."

"What?" John sat up a bit, seemingly alarmed.

"Si. Tradition for rides. Couples kiss when they pass under the bridge. It is Italian tradition!" His words were accented.

"We're not a couple, you know." I tried to explain.

"Non!" He pointed his finger to John and me. "Two people, couple! Si! It is for tradition, not doing means bad luck! Here's the bridge!"

John and I stared at each other as the boat continued on towards the bridge. It was as if we wanted to but we were waiting for the other to make a move. I clenched my fists to stop myself from feeling so nervous.

"Kiss!" The cheerful voice of the man echoed to us and obliged us to follow.

Before I knew it, John's lips were on mine.

I kissed him back, in the same intensity that he had. It was as if we had longed for that moment for a long time, the need and the passion was apparent that it scared me. I could feel his hand at the back of my head, pulling me closer to him. My knees became weak that I almost couldn't feel them anymore. How I've longed for this moment. I've played this over and over in my head for months. It was wrong but it felt so right. Before I completely lost myself in him to the point that couldn't control myself, I pulled away.

"Now! That kiss was not a kiss by friends! Good work!" The boatman commented as I moved away from John.

The boat stopped by the end of the second bridge where a small dock was located. I quickly sat up as the boatman helped me out of the gondola.

"Thank you signorina." He smiled at me.

I smiled back as I stepped onto the dock. 'Thank you."

"Thank you signor. I wish you both well." He said to John who was quick to follow me out to the dock.

"Thank you." He handed him money and bid him goodbye. John got the paper bags as I walked up the flight of stairs to the city grounds. I spotted Cristiano by the end of the street next to the parked car. He seemed to have seen me as well since he waved at me.

"The car's here!" I called to John trying to not catch his eyes. I ran to the car without waiting for him, somehow instead of opening up a new chapter in my life, I ended up revisiting a previous one.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The ride home was awkward, to say the least. I didn't know what I wanted to feel or what I am actually feeling at the moment. It was like I wanted to take back what John and I did because it reminded me so much of the last time. It made me realize how much I still wanted him, how crazy I still was for him despite the months that passed.

I still felt ashamed of myself despite the fact that John and Trish weren't together anymore. At the same time I felt helpless, the feeling I have for John won't change even though I keep on trying to forget it by trying to pretend it wasn't real. But I've lasted this long haven't I? Why should I give up now?

"I'm sorry." John blurted out as we neared the hotel.

I was surprised to hear him apologize for something that we both did. Like I always said, there was nothing to blame but my feelings and this time, the circumstances. It was destiny that did this to us.

"I'm sorry too." I told him. " But John, you know we shouldn't really do these things."

"I know." His response came as no surprise to me.

I sighed and looked out of the window. The streets were quiet now and many couples were dining out and moving about, making the most out of the beautiful view of Venice. I would surely remember this night like every other night I had with John.

"But I don't want this to end." His voice cracked and it scared me. It was like he was pleading.

"John, don't say it. Please." I closed my eyes hoping that I could stop myself from doing the opposite of what I'm making John do. "Stop right there."

"What do you want me to do?" He took my hand. "I want you around."

I opened my eyes and turned to him. He was looking at me with anticipation. He wanted me around, Sure. Be his companion or be his friend with benefits, in short. As usual, my hopes crashed down on me once again. He wanted me but he didn't love me. As far I knew, wanting and loving were two very different things. How can I truly trust someone who lied to my own sister? Where's the assurance that he wouldn't do the same to me?

"If you want me around, you have to promise me one thing."

"Anything." He squeezed my hands tighter.

"We remain just friends. No kissing or anything beyond that." The requisites came out surprisingly. I was so proud of myself that I actually found the strength to utter the words out. "Just friends."

He looked somewhat surprised but his expression softened a few moments after. He looked down then back at me again.

"If that's what you want." He looked disappointed.

I nodded and pulled my hands from his. "It's what right for both of us." I held out my right hand to him.

"Friends?"

He stared at my hand for a while before finally shaking it.

"Friends."

*

Whoever made the story of Cinderella certainly knew what it was like to be restricted. He probably went through a period in his life that was similar to what I was going through now. Actually, whoever made Alice in Wonderland probably felt it too. He knew what it was like to be in a situation where everything is perfect and surreal, only to be bought back to reality by some unknown force of nature. When you arrive back, you realize that all you could ever take with you were the memories, nothing more.

Basing from these, I can say that my life is one long fairytale without the happy ending.

John to me was like the perfect dream. While I was sleeping, I'd have him and I could love him as much as I wanted to but when I wake up, all I'd be left with was the idea and the memories of that dream, of him. No matter how hard I try to dream about it again, there was nothing I could do to resume it. I could never bring the moment back.

Of Course thoughts like 'What if I told John sooner' or 'What if I told Trish about my feelings for John' often haunted me. I often ask myself if it would've made everything different. Would John and I be happy? Would he be faithful to me?

But before I could truly grasp these ideas, the memory of how Trish told me about her feelings for John would flash into my mind. It was still clear for me despite it happening 2 years ago.

John and I were talking backstage after a WWE Raw taping, we had the same chemistry, the same connection that we have now, only then we were free to show it. John bid me goodbye since Vince McMahon needed to talk to him, this was around the time he needed a push for his career. He was dreaming of becoming a champion then and I had just started working for the WWE as well.

John was one of the people I first met and we clicked immediately. It was like our stars made it possible for us to meet, well, at least in my point of view. He was new to the company so he didn't have that much support, many people expected great things from him that he was often pressured, he often came to me for advice and comfort.

That actual day after John and I hanged out, Trish cornered me inside the diva's locker room to ask me a question. The exact words still linger inside my head until today.

"You and John aren't an item, right?" It was obvious in her face what she meant by that. She liked John. It was apparent through her words and actions and how she always wants to hang out with me when I was with John. Of Course during that time John and I weren't dating. Sure, I had a crush on him but Chase's image was still in my head. It was the time in my life that I'd never thought I would be able to love again.

"No, we're just friends." Was what I told Trish.

"Great! So, you wouldn't mind if I asked him out, right?" There was eagerness in her voice that made me not want to disappoint her, so I said no.

If only I could take that back.

"Diane, Trish asked me out." John told me the following day as we waited backstage.

"Yeah, she asked me about us last night." I laughed. "I figured she must've had the wrong idea about us, so I told her it was alright to ask you out. You don't mind, do you?"

"Actually, I thought you would." He looked confused.

"No, John. We're just friends, right?" He looked at me like he was thinking but then said nothing.

How ironic it was that it'd always end with those words-just friends. A month after I first said those words, John and Trish were officially dating. I had nothing against it until I realized that I was madly in love with John. I have been ever since I met him. I was just too blinded with the idea of Chase that I didn't comprehend it at first. As usual, I realized it when it was too late.

The elevator stopped on the tenth floor and brought me back to reality. I was holding all of my paper bags since John had stayed downstairs after we arrived. I never got to ask him why he wanted to stay there.

Obviously, things didn't work out the way I wanted them to. The whole 'Today is your day, Diane' thing didn't really worked out as planned. It just actually brought back memories of mine that I've hidden from myself for a long time.

I walked to the hallway and headed to my room at the far end, the one I was sharing with Maria and Trish. I knocked a few times since my hands were full and I was too lazy to fish out for the card key inside my bag. I figured they would be awake it wasn't that late anyway. A few moments later, the door opened and a droopy-eyed Maria was standing there to greet me.

Her expression suddenly changed into excitement when she saw me.

"Hey there, lucky girl!" He ushered me inside and took some of the bags. "How was the day off? Was Venice great?"

"It was surreal." I told her as I went inside the room. I was surprised to see Phil, Randy and Trish waiting inside for me, they were all seated in my bed. "Hey guys."

"Hey sis!" Trish beamed at me. "You cheeks are flushed! Did you meet someone?"

"What? Of Course not! I didn't meet someone." I grunted. "I just fell in love."

"With who?" Randy asked immediately.

"With Italy." I sighed and then started laughing.

"Really? Then who gave you that rose?" It was Maria now who asked the question. I realized that I was still holding the rose John had handed to me earlier.

"Just the boatman from the gondola ride. He said that love should be shared." I shrugged as I carefully placed to rose on the dresser. "Anyways, I bought you guys some stuff I know you would like!"

They all flocked to me as I sat down one of the beds, putting down the paper bags with me. I each handed them one package, handing Trish the last and biggest one.

"Wow!" She exclaimed as she took out the black leather knee-high boots I bought for her. She leaned in and hugged me. "I love it! Thanks!"

"No problem." I squeezed her tighter.

"Wow! Diane, you really didn't have to." Randy held out a Metallica T-shirt I was lucky enough to see in one of the stores. He'd mentioned before how big of a fan he is of their music.

"Lady luck was on my side, Randy. Hope you like it."

"Like it? I love it!" He gave me a wide smile. "I feel like my Christmas came early! Thank you!"

I smiled back. "No problem." I then turned to Maria and Phil who seemed like they were embarrassed with what I gave them. Maria had red lingerie and Phil had matching boxer shorts to accompany it.

"I knew you guys were into that kind of thing." I explained with a giggle and winked at them.

"I love it!" Maria beamed. "I'm sure Phil would look great in these too." She pointed at the boxers. "Red was always your color, babe."

"Okay, I'd rather not talk about it." Phil's face became red with embarrassment. "But thank you, Diane. You're helping out with our love life."

"I'm glad to be of service." I nodded at them then yawned. "I love you guys, but I think I need some rest."

"You're so lucky you got the day off! Were you the only one?" Maria asked me.

"No, I was with John."

Trish looked at me the moment she heard John's name. "Did he have fun too?"

"Yeah, we did actually." I mumbled.

"Great." She gave me a smile. "He deserves it. Anyways boys," She turned to Randy and Phil. "We are going to rest now, so move it. Goodnight."

"Alright." Randy sighed as he and Phil stood up. Phil approached Maria and gave her a kiss on the lips. Randy came up to me and kissed my forehead.

"Goodnight Diane." He whispered softly on my ear. I smiled as he and Phil walked to the door.

"Goodnight girls." They both bid us goodbye.

"Goodnight." We all said in unison as the boys walked out and closed the door behind them.

"That was sweet." Trish giggled as she turned to me. She had a smug look on her face.

"What?"

"Randy kissing you on the forehead! That's so sweet! Right Maria?" She exclaimed as she squeezed a pillow tightly.

"Yeah!"

I shook my head instantly. "Shut up. We're just friends."

"But don't deny the fact that you do find him cute, Diane." Maria said as she held up the lingerie I gave her, scanning it with a smile on her face.

"He's cute and very, very nice but we're really just friends."

"Why not become more than that?" Trish asked me.

I gave her a serious look. "Trish didn't you just promise me recently that you wont interfere with my love life anymore? And what happened to the 'Randy is a bad guy' thing? "

She rolled her eyes at me then laid down on the bed. "Whatever! I'm just being a good sister. I'm going to sleep!"

I threw my handbag at Maria to interrupt her from thinking too much after Trish settled down. She seemed to be too engrossed on the underwear I gave her, probably thinking of the first time she's going to use it.

"Hey!" She yelled as I ran towards the bathroom, giggling.

"You bitch!" I heard her call after me as I closed the bathroom door. When I finally stopped laughing, I started brushing my teeth and readied for bed. I badly needed to sleep. After everything that happened tonight I think I deserve to give my feelings a rest.

I changed into my pajamas that were on the bathroom closet. I'd prepared them earlier this morning so that I wouldn't have to reopen my suitcase tonight. We were going to leave tomorrow for the United States again, Louisiana to be exact. It was back to work.

I was halfway through washing my face when I heard a knock on the door. I unlocked and watched as Maria came inside, holding my digital camera in her hand.

"I just had to tell you." She said as she held out the camera for me to see. "This picture is perfect. You both look so happy."

I peeked and saw that she was referring to the gondola picture the boatman took of John and me. We really looked like a couple in love.

"Is there something I need to know?" There was a sense of eagerness in her eyes. Somehow I knew that I couldn't hide things from Maria, but now wasn't the right time to tell her this. Especially since John and I decided to just remain friends.

"C'mon, Boop!" I managed to give out a laugh as I finished washing my face. "John is Trish's ex-boyfriend. We're just friends. All have always will be."

"Well.." She sighed. "If you say so. I just want you to know, Diane, you don't really have to lie with me. I love you no matter what."

"I know that." I told her as I faced the bathroom mirror again, wiping off the water with a towel. I was looking at Maria through the mirror and saw that she didn't looked that convinced with what I just said. However, she seemed to have surrendered when she decided to go out of the bathroom and leave me alone again.

There was nothing else I could say but "I'm sorry".


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Our flight to the United States was booked for 11 am the following morning. After I woke up around 5 am, I looked outside of the window at the beautiful and memorable view of Venice. Traveling to Europe definitely improved my perception everything. I first came here determined to just change my mood, but it ended up changing my overall outlook in life. I even kept an application form from Institut Technique du Maquillage in case I ever decide to further develop my expertise in France.

I was almost finished dressing up when Trish rushed inside of the room. She was holding her cell phone in her hand and she looked like she had just received amazing news, her eyes were shining.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked her as I zipped my leather boots up.

"We just found an amazing spot in Toronto, just near my house." She said excitedly. "It's perfect. My architect friend found it for me."

"Wow!" I sat up, rushed to her and gave her a big hug. "That's great! You've been trying to look for a place for months! Finally something came up!"

"I know! This is a sign. Construction starts next week and is due in 3 months time." She beamed at me, I've never seen her this happy. It's something she'd been working on for a while now. I'm so delighted that she finally had the opportunity.

"Wow, Trish." I smiled back at her. "You never fail to amaze me. A beautiful wrestling career and now a yoga studio, wow! This is your dream. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, sis. Now I better work on my retirement." She headed to her luggage that was next to her dresser. She crouched down to it and started checking her things.

"Retirement?" I repeated, wondering if I really heard her right.

She turned to me and nodded. "Once the yoga studio is completed, I'd be teaching classes there. I've been doing yoga for years now, I want to share m toy knowledge other people. I also know a few instructors that could help me teach."

"Wh-what about wrestling?" I stuttered a bit. "You have a lot of fans, they'd surely miss you."

"I've been here, what, 5 years already?" She said. "I'm sure they'd understand. I love my fans and my work, but I guess it's time for me to focus on myself, my future. We're 25 years old, Diane. We're not getting any younger."

I looked down and reflected on what she just said. I understand her completely. She's been focusing too much on her wrestling career that she forgot to give time for herself. Trish deserves to be happy and I know she'd be when she finally settles down and start on something new, something she loves the same way as wrestling.

"Don't worry, sis." She said. "You'd survive here without me and besides, I still have 3 months with you right?"

I approached her and pulled her up, enclosing her in a hug. "Yeah, but I'm going to miss you when you leave."

"Diane!" She pulled away from me and laughed. "Are you in love or something? What made you this emotional?"

I gave out a laugh. "Is it wrong to tell you how I feel?"

She smirked. "You ARE in love. Randy is one lucky fellow! Congrats sis!"

"I am NOT in love with Randy." I rebutted.

"If not with Randy, then who?" She raised her eyebrow at me, his face showed an amused expression.

I couldn't come up with any other name to say. Thankfully, I managed to stop myself from blurting out John's.

"See! You can't deny it." She winked at me then went back to fixing her bag.

*

As expected, as soon as we landed in the United States, piles of work were waiting for us. I didn't feel pressured at all not only since I still felt refreshed after my time in Italy but also because John and I were actually acting normal again. We hang out before the shows and we talk normal with each other like we did before. In fact, it seemed like being with him like this made me comfortable to have him around again, even better this time because we didn't have any hidden agendas. We were really just friends- nothing more, nothing less.

Trish was busy with planning her Yoga Studio so she was somehow distracted when it comes to her wrestling career. She has always been a hands-on person so she insisted that she handpicks everything that will be placed inside the studio once it was finished. Everything has to be accurate and perfect for each room and each mood it portrays. Unfortunately, her stress with finding each perfect indoor piece made her grumpy and lacking sleep. It was so typical for Trish to mix excitement with obsession.

On our final day in Louisiana, she came up to me asking for a favor. Somehow, I knew this was coming. She'd need help sooner or later since stress can be very exhausting.

"Diane." She was standing behind me as I packed my make-up tools after finishing with the last of the divas. I looked at her before I turned around and picked up my tools one by one. Trish had a look on her face that showed me she wasn't in the best mood.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I'm meeting up with the contractor tonight." She told me. "He came all the way here from Toronto to talk to me. Apparently, I'm not the only one who wants to start this business as soon as possible."

"Wow, that's great." I finished compacting all of my makeup inside a container and placed them inside my bag.

She sat on the chair in front of me and took my hand. "Diane, I have to go now, I'll be coming back before the show."

I glanced at my watch and then back at her. "That's okay. The show is not until 7 pm. You still have 6 hours to talk to this contractor."

"Exactly." She agreed with me but her face was full of distraught. Her feet were moving uncontrollably and it was apparent that she was trying to decide on something.

"Well, is there something wrong?" I squeezed her hands tighter.

"I wont be back until the show, but I have a song recording around 4pm." She said.

"Song Recording?" I wondered. "What for? Don't tell me you're coming up with your own music album?"

"Not really." She shook her head and pulled her hands away from mine. "It's for the WWE Music Collection. I've done some recording last week so today's just the finishing touches. I'd only have to record the bridge and last chorus of the song and that's it."

"You can do it." I gave her a smile. "How long does it take, anyways? You can come back early from the contractor."

"You don't get it." She seemed frustrated. "I still have to greet the contractor in the airport, talk to him over dinner then come back and prepare for the show. I don't have time for a recording!"

"What do you want me to do?" I seemed frustrated now as well.

She raised her eyebrow at me just in time that I did the same. I stared at her for a while before finally understanding what she wanted me to do. There was no way in hell I was going to do it.

"No."

I carried my makeup bag one by one, determined to leave before Trish gets any ideas. I've done some of her work before and I felt guilty every time. Imagine what it was like to talk to Trish's fans on the phone sometimes when she wasn't in the mood. They'd profess their love for Trish and I tried to sound as much like her as I could. I had enough difficulty with her normal voice. I'd probably die in frustration if I try to sing like her.

"Diane, please!" She pleaded. "I really need this. It's just a few lines, and besides! You sound better than me."

"I don't sing anywhere besides the shower." I grunted.

"So? They wouldn't care. You sound decent, I heard you before."

"When?" I jumped in surprised. I always hated it when other people heard my singing voice, especially since I just usually belt out in the bathroom. Singing around other people scares me. It isn't because my voice was unbearable but because pressure and nervousness makes my voice squeak. I once was assigned to lead the National Anthem when I was in grade school, only to end up humiliating myself. I didn't only forget the words but I ended up squeaking them out. I never heard the end of it.

"Almost every time." Trish sounded desperate. "C'mon, Diane. It'll be just about two of you in the recording studio. It's not like you're performing in an assembly again."

See, I told you. I never hear the end of it.

"Please." She took both of my hands again. "If you asked me to do anything for you, I would. Without question."

Even if I asked you to stop pestering me?

"Fine." I surrendered. There was no point in arguing anyway. Like always I had to agree before Trish starts crying and call mom. Somehow that was one thing she never grew up on. She always had to call our mom and let her convince me to do something. It was like we were still kids arguing about who gets to dress up like Madonna for Halloween.

"Yay!" She screamed and hugged me tight. "I knew you were going to say yes!"

I shrugged when we separated. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"No." She winked at me as she fished for something from her pocket. Soon, she was holding it out on her hand.

I looked down at the piece of paper and mp3 player Trish was giving me. It was as if I was still thinking twice on taking it. There was still a voice in my head telling me I should just take my word back and rest in the hotel but it seemed like my heart told me to do it for my sister. She pushed the things to my hand when I stood motionless for a few seconds.

"It wouldn't be that hard you know. Pretending that you're actually 'willing' to try this for me." She sounded upset. "I've been doing a lot of things and I can't think straight. I really thought you'd be even a little bit enthusiastic. If mom were here-"

There she is again.

"Trish!" I held her shoulders to cut her off. "I'll do it, okay? I told you I would. Don't cry."

She sniffed then gave me a big smile. "Thank you sis!" She kissed me on the cheeks than ran out towards the door. "You still have 3 hours to master the song. Thank you, thank you!"

I was left alone in the locker room, holding the mp3 and paper in my hands.

*

_I just want you. Do you want me?  
Got a feeling that it's time to make a change, got a feeling that things can't stay the same. I feel in my heart, I'm losing control._

_Don't you want me too?_

The song played inside my head continuously. The composer's voice was gentle and so seductive that I've been struggling to copy how she sang. I've been listening to it inside the diva's locker room for about two hours now. I just had about half an hour for lunch before I started learning the song. Everyone was busy practicing on the ring and I was left alone here to focus on Trish's song. Thankfully I did the makeup of the divas early in the afternoon that I'd only worry about their retouches later on.

I took a deep breath and held up the paper Trish gave me. Carefully scanning the words before singing.

"I just want you, do you want me?" My voice surprisingly didn't crack as I sang and I took that as a good sign. Hopefully this kind of confidence would remain until the recording session. "Got a feeling that it's time to make a change, got a feeling that things can't stay the same. I feel in my heart I'm losing control."

"I never knew you could sing."

My body froze when I heard Randy's voice. I turned to face the door and saw him standing there with a smirk on his face. I felt my cheeks flush and I quickly paused the mp3 player I was listening to.

"You do know this is the diva's locker room." I snapped at him, feeling rather embarrassed.

"Yeah." He replied. "But I was looking for you. I haven't seen you since lunch, I thought you were with Trish."

"Trish met up with a contractor for her yoga studio." I told him as he approached. He was wearing denim jeans and a black WWE shirt. His hair was a little shorter than usual, evident that he just had his hair cut. It seemed like he was finished with his rehearsals and has some free time. He was always like that, whenever he had time to kill he would come run to me and ask him to join him in whatever he was planning.

"What are you singing?" He was beside me now, sitting in the bench.

"Trish's song for the WWE CD that's coming out." I explained as I stared at the lyrics on my hand. "I need to finish the recording for her since her deadline's today."

"And you agreed to do it for her?"

"One of the many things I do for my sister." I sighed.

Suddenly, I heard Randy's laughter emerging from the silence. I looked at him in wonder.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." He calmed down. "You just said the exact same line the first time we talked seriously. I just remembered it."

"You remember things like that?" I raised my eyebrow at him. "That was like ages ago."

"I remember a lot of things." He gave me a small smile that made me stop. I wasn't sure if it was just me, but it's like Randy has something on his mind that he's not sharing. Something important.

"Are you okay?" I touched his arm caringly.

He nodded. "I'm just thinking about something."

"What? Tell me. I might just be the help you're looking for." I gave him a warm smile as I dropped the paper beside me, just next to the mp3 player.

Randy pouted his lips then looked up, thinking. He appeared to be somewhat nervous and confused at the same time, it was apparent with his vibe. He looked back at me and I immediately saw the hesitation in his eyes.

"I like this girl." His words were slow and clear. "I just don't know how to tell her."

I tilted my head to the side thinking of whom he might be referring to. "Who is she?"

"Someone from Missouri." He replied, scratching his head. "Someone I met not long ago. Maybe a few months."

"A few months?" I chuckled. "And you just realized that you like her now?"

"Yeah." He sighed and took my hand from his shoulder, squeezing them. "Do you think I should tell her?"

I stared at our hands then looked straight into his green eyes. Finally, Randy has found someone for him and I was beyond ecstatic. I just hope that she treats her well, the way he should be treated.

"You should." I gave him a big smile. "Any girl would be stupid not to like you, Randy."

"Oh My God! Randy's here!" Kelly Kelly, one of the divas, came inside the room leading the pack. She looked at Randy and me then smiled. "You guys finally got together?"

"No." I took my hand away from Randy's.

"Hey there, Randy!" Maria greeted as she came inside the room. "As much as I love you, you got to scoot off. Girls' locker room rules, you know."

"Sure." He stood up and looked down at me. "Thanks, Diane."

"No problem." I smiled as I watched him walk out of the room.

"What just happened here?" Maria pinched my sides as she sat beside me. "He looked like you just 'Stratusfied' him."

"Shut up." I laughed and rolled my eyes. "He just wanted some advice on something. Anyway, I need to go, there's a business I need to attend to."

"Right now?"

"Yep." I stood up and took all my stuff beside me, placing it all inside my black leather bag. I took out a blue baseball cap from my drawer and wore them. It was what I bought John from the thrift stores in Italy, I almost forgot about them until I found them from my luggage bag last night. I'd be wearing them now just in case I see him. I rushed out of the room and into the hallway.

Thankfully the recording studio was just beside the coliseum and in ten minutes time, I was able to arrive there by walking. The place was a small studio that a guy named Eric formed. Vince had contacted him before we arrived in Louisiana, making sure that all the wrestlers that were included in the album would finish their song recordings before we leave tomorrow. Maybe that's why Trish was so pressured, if she wouldn't finish her song now, she might be made to go back to Louisiana and that would be much more stressful.

"Hey there." Eric greeted me when I arrived. He was this middle-aged man with short hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a black shirt and denim cut offs as he stood by the door, shaking my hand when I got inside. "New hair, Trish?"

"Sort of." I mumbled. "I'm actually Trish's sister, Diane. Nice to meet you."

"Wow! I didn't know that Trish had a twin sister, a hot one at that!" He beamed at me. "Very nice to meet you!"

I nodded at him as he motioned me to sit down on the bench beside the recording studio. The 'record' light was on so I figured that there was a person inside right now.

"Sorry, the last recording got held up for a while. I hope you don't mind waiting for a few minutes." He told me as he sat down on his desk again.

"No problem."

"So, you're singing for her? Do you both sound alike?"

"Not much." I smiled. "But we could probably work that, right? I'm sorry for this, Trish had an urgent meeting to attend to. I'll try to do my best."

"No problem." He smiled back at me. "As long as Trish sent someone as pretty as her, it's okay. I'll just edit and make a few adjustments."

"Thank you." I held my hands together, trying not to be nervous.

"If you don't mind me asking, do you have a boyfriend?"

I shot a look at him and found him smirking at me in a way that seemed very inappropriate. Instead of standing up and slapping him on the face, I decided to just not mind him. He'd probably act that way around any girl.

"Actually, yes." I lied just so he'd stop.

"Oh I see." He sighed. "Too bad, huh. Trish told me the same thing. I guess you sisters are too pretty to be in the market."

I wondered whom Trish might have meant as her boyfriend. Eric had obviously met Trish about a few days ago and she didn't mention anything about getting back with John or anything. I figured she must've lied the same way I did just to shut him up.

Eric seems to be a really nice guy but it appears like he's very vocal of his feelings. I hope he doesn't comment on my singing voice so much or else I'm going to freak out and ruin this for Trish.

A small beeping sound came from the recording studio and Eric stood up to go inside the next room. There seemed to be laughter coming there, as the voices got nearer and nearer. My nervousness escalated when I recognized one of the voices.

"Thanks, man. I loved the finished work. The improvements were great."

Eric emerged from the room with John and his cousin Marc. They were all congratulating themselves when John saw me. He approached me and smiled.

"Diane, what are you doing here?"

"She's covering up for Trish." Eric said before I could come up with anything to say.

"Wow, Diane. I never knew you could sing." Marc commented as he stood beside John.

"I apparently don't look like I can." I laughed. "But I try my best."

"Where's Trish?"

"She had to meet up with someone regarding her business." I told John as I stopped my heart from cringing. I don't really care if he still looks for Trish. We're just friends.

_Good Diane, just keep repeating that inside your head. _ I told myself.

"Well, would you mind if we stayed and watch you record?"

I could feel a lump on my throat now. There was no way in hell that I would let John hear me sing. His mere presence would render me speechless, I'd just waste time if I would even try to sing in front of him.

"Sure! That'd be great. Diane would need a lot of supporters." Eric answered for me. This jerk was getting a hang of this, trying to answer for me all of the time. "Diane, you're up. Hope you memorized the words."

I shot him an annoyed look before standing up. I know I was being rude but I sincerely felt like I couldn't speak. My voice seemed to have vanished.

"Are you okay?" John held me up with my shoulders, staring at me intently. "Diane?"

I looked at him and nodded slowly. "Y-yeah. I'm fine. John, I don't really think you should watch. I'm a terrible singer, I might just make you deaf."

"No you're not." He turned me to the direction of the other room and assisted me as we both walked. He kept his arms on my shoulder as he leaned in and whispered. "I heard you sing before."

"When?"

"Shower." He whispered as we got inside the room. There was a single microphone in the center, a glass mirror separating the two rooms.

I shot him a bad look. "Just friends, remember?"

"Friends make jokes." He said as he pushed me inside the recording studio. His smile made my cheeks hot. "Go get 'em, tiger."

My knees were shaky as I walked to the microphone. I could die right now. The nervousness was killing me. I just stood there motionless as I watched Eric go inside the booth adjacent to me. He gave me a thumbs-up as he turned the 'record' button on. Soon I could hear the music and Trish's voice. I waited for her to finish the first two parts of the song. My throat was trembling the same time as my knees. I would blow this one up I can feel it. I'm so sorry Trish. The music was erupting and I felt really cold. My hands were sweating like crazy and I could feel John's eyes on me. Oh God. Help me. I closed my eyes and remembered the words. Before I knew it, my part was over. I didn't even manage to sing a single word.

"Diane, are you okay?" Eric asked from the booth. "Have you heard this song before?"

I nodded. "Yes. Sorry, I'm just really nervous."

"Okay one more time." He told me as the music started again.

I looked at John as he stared at me. He seemed anxious to hear me sing again. If only he'd realize how much pressure he's making me feel right now. I couldn't possibly sing in front of him. Sure, we're comfortable as friends now, but there are still some things I can't do. I don't sing in front of other people there was no way that I could do it in front of this guy. This guy I've wanted for years.

"Missed it again." Eric sounded annoyed.

"Shit." I cursed under my breath. "I'm sorry. I'm just really bad with these things. I shouldn't be here."

"Just don't mind us." Marc shouted through the glass.

"You can do it, C'mon." John urged me, leaving me feeling frustrated as ever. How can he urge me like that when he's the reason why I can't even move right now? "Close your eyes."

I did what he said and tried to concentrate as hard as I can. Trish needs this. I don't want to ruin this for her. One way or the other, John would hear me sing. There'd be no difference. That thought somehow comforted me. I tried to remember the words as my cue came up.

_I just want you. Do you want me?  
Got a feeling that it's time to make a change, got a feeling that things can't stay the same. I feel in my heart, I'm losing control._

_Oooh. Oh. Don't you want me too?_

_I just want you. You know I, I just want you. I just want you. Do you want me?_

I continued until the ending. I just blurted out the words like I practiced earlier, trying hard not to crack up. Damn it. I shouldn't have agreed to do this in the first place.

The music stopped and all I was left to hear was my heart beating as fast as a speeding car. I opened my eyes and found all three men looking at me. Eric took a microphone from inside the music booth.

"That was amazing."

I was shocked when I heard those words. He didn't look like he was lying but if he was, that was really a bad joke. I turned to John and saw him smiling at me.

"Really?" I asked. "That's it? We're finished?"

They all nodded. Eric gave me another thumbs up. "Better than your sister. You got it in one take after you actually sang. Good work, Diane. I'll send you and Trish the copy soon."

"Thank you!" I couldn't believe my ears. If every recording was like this, I could start doing this for a living. I'd be less stressed.

I walked out of the recording station and was greeted by a hug from John.

"Good work." He told me.

We're friends and all but hugs and being all touchy wasn't really my thing with him. It's tempting. I took of the cap and placed it on John's head so I could pull away from him quickly.

"Something I bought for you from Italy. I just forgot to give you, sorry."

He adjusted the cap and gave me a smile. "Thanks."

"No problem." I turned to Eric. "Nice to meet you."

Eric came out of the booth to shake my hand again. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Stratagias."

I gave him one last smile as I headed out.

"Let's go together." John called after me as he motioned Marc to the door. Surprisingly, I wasn't uncomfortable. I'd just overcome a fear I had for a long time- singing in front of other people and not actually caring about what they say.

"You did really good back there." He told me as we walked together back to the coliseum. Marc was following us. "I told you, you have a good voice."

"Thanks but don't really say the shower thing out loud." I whispered to him. "Did you really hear me sing before? That was like, one time right? We didn't shower together, obviously."

"You thought I was asleep." He whispered back with a smile. "You usually think I'm sleeping then when you go to the shower or go back to sleep. I'd end up staring at you when you're back next to me. You sleep so peacefully, you know."

"Okay." I cut him off, feeling a bit awkward. "Don't say anymore."

"You asked." He laughed.

"Pretend I didn't." I told him. "Marc might hear us."

"Marc, did you hear anything?" John asked Marc as he walked behind us. He looked at us and shook his head, it seemed like he was thinking about something else too. He was distracted.

"Nope. Sorry, were you saying something?"

"No. It's okay." John smiled at him the turned to me. "You don't really have to worry, Diane. Your secret is safe with me. It's OUR secret."

I nodded but said nothing else. The whole idea of what happened to John and me hit me in my face. I realized that I couldn't just pretend it wasn't real. John and I both know that, we just don't want to pursue anything else. Hopefully, everything just stays this way.


	13. Chapter 12

_I just want to thank you guys for reading my story. I'll have classes soon so I'd be a little bit busy but I promise I'll write more stuff soon. I also promise that the next chapters would be better! ;) Thanks for all the reviews and please keep them coming! xoxo Diane/LaurenZane _

**Chapter 12**

"Phil stop denying it!"

I could hear Maria's voice clearly from inside the hotel room. She and Phil were in the balcony, arguing. Trish was already asleep in the bed next to mine. I, on the other hand, woke up and found Maria's empty bed on the other side. I only realized where Maria was when I heard her and Phil talking. Usually, whenever they sneaked around the sounds they make were rather bearable and I was able to sleep through it. This instance seemed different though. I couldn't sleep through Maria's cries. She'd need a person to listen after this.

"Maria, I told you." Phil's response was softer and calmer. "Kelly and I are just friends. I don't know where you get these ideas of yours!"

"But I see how she looks at you!" She rebutted. "How the hell do you want me to react to that?

"Why are you so paranoid?" Phil seemed tired now. "Maria, I promise you. I love you and only you, okay? Please. I'm tired of arguing."

"Phil.." Maria seemed to have surrendered as well. "I'm tired too but I can't just say nothing."

"We'll talk about this some other time, okay?" He told her. "Just rest, it'll be bad for you to get too exhausted. I love you."

I heard her sigh. "Okay, bye. Whatever. "

A few moments later I heard the door of our hotel room open and close. I sat up a bit as I saw Maria approach her bed. She saw me as she sat down and sighed.

"You heard all that, huh?" She looked somehow embarrassed.

I nodded. "Are you okay?"

Despite the darkness around us, the light from the lampshade illuminated Maria. I could see tears forming around her eyes and it made me sad. I went next to her and caressed her back.

"I love him, Diane. I love him so much." She was crying now. "I'm scared to lose him."

"What made you think he's fooling around?" I asked. "I'm sure it's not true. Phil's not that kind of guy."

"I saw it on the internet." She admitted. "I saw a story about Phil and Kelly-"

"Maria!" I shouted at her then immediately stopped myself because I didn't want to wake Trish up. "Did you tell him that you were mad because of what you read online?"

"No." She sniffed. "It's such a stupid thing to actually believe in those stuff but I thought, if there wasn't even an ounce of truth in there, the rumors won't even circulate. If they slept together, I'd be okay with that if Phil would only admit to it, you know."

"But what if nothing really happened?"

Maria looked at me and wiped the tears off of her face. Her eyes were so innocent that it made me feel terrible for her.

"Diane, please help me find out the truth." She pleaded as she took my hand. "You're the only person I trust with this. I want to know what's happening with Phil and Kelly. I want to be certain that the rumors aren't true and that Phil really loves me like he tells me."

"Maria.." I groaned as I looked away.

She squeezed my hand to convince me. "Please, Diane."

"Okay." I surrendered after a few moments.

She gave me a small smile and hugged me tightly. "I knew I could count on you."

*

We arrived in Arkansas a few days ago and since then I've noticed that Phil and Maria were acting different. It wasn't until a few nights ago that I confirmed something was wrong between them. Maria wasn't the type to be jealous with other girls but she does have a tendency to become paranoid. Hopefully, they make it through whatever it was they were having differences on.

John and I agreed to cheer Maria up by treating her for a lunch out. I'm sure that the divas were prohibited to eat junk food but Maria deserved some pampering, especially now. A slice of blueberry cheesecake wouldn't be that bad, would it?

I zipped up my ankle boots and checked my reflection on the bathroom mirror. The red plaid shirt I took from Trish's suitcase was so cute especially when I paired it up with my denim jeans. I quickly covered myself with my black leather jacket and topped my head with a bonnet. I just hope Trish doesn't see me sneaking her shirt out. She's usually strict with her stuff. I walked out of the bathroom as slow as I could possibly go. I tried to zip my jacket up only to be interrupted by Trish.

"I know that shirt."

I heard her say as I stood by the bathroom door. She had glasses on as she sat on the bed, holding a notebook and pen in her hands. It looked like she was computing and listing down some things. I assumed it was for the production of her yoga studio.

"Sorry, it was too cute to pass up." I smiled at her. "How are the preparations going?"

"It's great." She was so busy that she didn't seem to mind me wearing her shirt. "I'd probably just stay here for the meantime and talk to the people on the phone. I need to tell them everything I need for the construction."

"Oh. Well, I'm going out for lunch." I told her as I walked towards the door. I stopped halfway through and looked at Trish. "Do you want anything?"

"No. I'm good." She was engrossed with her listings that she didn't bother to look up to me. "Whom are you eating with?"

"Just Maria." I answered. "And John, too."

She finally looked up at me when I mentioned John's name. I just stood there as I saw her expression change, she seemed like she was wondering about something.

"You and John are hanging out a lot again, aren't you?"

I shrugged. "We've always been close, right?" I told her the half-truth.

She stared at me for a while before turning down to her papers again. "Yeah, I guess so. It was just that when John and I were together, you never came to eat with us." She tilted her head like she was thinking. "Oh well, maybe this is stress talking. Have fun."

"You don't mind do you?" It was my conscience talking again. I just couldn't leave the room without asking Trish that.

"Hell no." She smiled. "Maria needs some break too. I heard some parts of her argument with Phil the other night. Whatever their problem is, I hope they settle them soon."

"Me too." I bid her goodbye as I walked out of the door. Surprisingly, I found Randy standing outside by the hallway. It looked like he was waiting for someone. Probably me?

"Hey." He greeted me with a warm smile. "Want to go out for lunch?"

"Right now?" I held my shoulder bag properly as I approached him. Randy looked like he was stressed for some reason. He was wearing a white shirt and denim jeans like the usual, only this time he was covered with a thick black jacket. Winter's been tough with everyone but somehow, I really feel refreshed. I love the snow and the cold weather.

"Yeah." He nodded. "You're not free?"

"John and I were actually planning to treat Maria out for lunch, some Pasta and Cake to cheer her up. She needs some cheering up." I explained to him while his expression somehow changed.

"Oh, I see." He murmured as he stared out into space.

"Well, do you want to come?" I patted his arm to distract him from his thoughts. He looked down at me in wonder.

"Wouldn't John mind?"

"Of Course not!" I smiled at him. "Why would he? Besides, the more the merrier, right? C'mon!"

I laced my arm around his as we started to walk to the elevator. Randy seemed tense for some reason that I couldn't comprehend, it was like he wasn't sure of something. It was so unusual for him to just stay quiet. Although Randy may seem so mysterious around other people, he was always so energetic with me. I wonder what could probably make him feel this way.

"I don't really feel so good." He answered my thoughts when we were alone inside the elevator. He looked at me then looked away.

"Do you feel a fever coming up?" I worried.

He shook his head. "Not really. Don't worry, maybe the cake would cheer me up as well."

We arrived on the lobby and found John and Maria waiting. They seemed a bit surprised that I came with Randy but John gave me a small smile when he greeted me.

"Hey there." He told me then looked at Randy. "Hello Randy."

"You guys don't mind if Randy comes with us, right? We all need some cheering up." I gave the warmest smile I could possibly give.

"No problem with me!" Maria seemed to have found the child in her again. She came up to us and pulled Randy away from me, taking him by the arm. "C'mon Randy! We don't deserve this kind of feeling, we need cake!"

They both sprinted out of the hotel and to the car that was waiting outside, leaving John and me behind. Randy seemed to be just walking as lifelessly as he could as Maria ran to the car.

"C'mon!" John urged me as we walked together.

I approached him and we started walking side by side. John looked cute in his gray hoodie and jeans, he was wearing a bonnet too and I found that endearing for some reason.

_Me and my weird taste._

John got in the driver's seat of the car after he ushered me in the front seat. Randy and Maria were anxiously waiting inside, both seeming to be lost in their own thoughts so I didn't bother them that much. I just looked outside as John started the car.

The weather was surprisingly peaceful for a winter morning. I have always loved how winter emits this calming atmosphere around me, as if telling me that Christmas is indeed coming. When we were younger, Trish and I would always bake cupcakes before Christmas Day and we would send them to everyone around our block. Then on Christmas day itself, we would knock on each door to ask for gifts in exchange for the cupcakes. We would end up with lots of candies and small tokens. It was like we mixed Halloween and Christmas together. I'd never forget those moments.

"Christmas is coming!" I cheered loudly. "Aren't you guys excited?"

"I'm more into the holiday vacation than the holiday itself." John replied. "Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. I just miss my family, that's all."

"Me too." Randy said from the backseat as I turned to look at him. "My sister's graduating next year so this Christmas is pretty special for us. It'll be the last one before she heads out to Med School."

"That's great! I'm excited for her." I gave Randy a big smile then turned to Maria. "What about you Maria? Aren't you excited for the presents?" I tried to cheer Maria somehow. She had always anticipated Christmas because she had the reason to shop for completely useless things. This time, however, she didn't seem to be in such a mood.

She just looked at me and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

I just stared at her for a moment before finally looking away. I glanced at John for support but he just shrugged too. I guess he also didn't know what to say to make things better.

Fortunately, there wasn't much traffic around the area that we got to the restaurant in only about 15 minutes. The silence inside the car was pretty intense. I didn't bother to start any conversations anymore since everyone seemed to be deep in their thoughts and I felt a bit left out. I wasn't exactly sure why I felt this energetic. I blame it on the weather.

We immediately found a parking space by the side of the restaurant and I took that as a good sign. The show's not until tomorrow but we still had appointments after this so we need to get back to the hotel as soon as possible.

We all rushed inside since we didn't want to catch a cold because of the chilly weather. The Italian restaurant was posh and elegant. Their waiters wore a formal coat and tie while they served the dishes. The pleasant aroma of herbs and pizzas intoxicated me and made my stomach grumble as we walked inside.

John chose a perfect spot for us, a table secluded at the far end of the room where we could talk comfortably and privately. We all followed him as he and the waiters led us to the table. So far it seems like nobody recognized them as WWE wrestlers, another good sign. Maria would definitely feel better once we start eating. I just feel it.

I sat on the chair beside Randy's, adjacent to where John and Maria sat. The soft cushion of the seat made me feel comfortable immediately.

"What would you be having today?" A waited appeared next to me, surprising me.

I held out the menu and started choosing what I felt like eating. The pictures were so appetizing that I had a hard time trying to figure what to order. I didn't eat much breakfast just to prepare for this so I was torn between following my head or my stomach.

"I'll have Pesto Pasta, please." I said as I stared at the picture on the menu. I turned the page and saw a glass of milkshake that looked too beautiful to resist. "And milkshake."

"Pesto and milkshake?" John laughed.

"Why? I love them both." I smiled. "They'd all end up in the same place anyway, so why not?" I handed the menu to the waiter.

"I'll just have some garden salad or whatever." Maria mumbled. "A glass of water."

"Maria! You can't come to an Italian Restaurant and just eat salad. Order something better!" I told her immediately.

She sighed and looked back down at her menu. "Fine. I'll have Spaghetti Bolognese and a bottle of water. My trainer will kill me."

"Not if I killed him first." I winked at her as she gave her menu to the waiter. I wasn't used to her being so grumpy like this but I really can't blame her since she's been thinking too much about Phil.

"Pepperoni Pizza for the guys." John ordered and turned to Randy. "You okay with that?"

Randy looked back at him and nodded. "Yeah whatever." He turned to the waiter. "I'm having a milkshake too."

"Yay!" I cheered and wrapped my arm around Randy. "Milkshake is the best!"

I was surprised when Randy moved back a little, taking my arm off of his. The way he did it was subtle yet it was obvious for me. He rarely did that to me before and it made me think of what Randy really has on his mind. However, I concluded that maybe he just really felt sick and didn't want any contact with other people.

The waiter repeated our orders and sprinted away, leaving us alone as the awkward silence lingered among us.

_Why is Randy acting like this? _I thought as I took secret glances at Randy. For months that we've know each other, I've never seen him so serious like this except in television. It was like his character got out of the screen and really possessed him this time. Yeah sure, at first he was always so mysterious but when we started hanging out together more and more that, persona of his started to disappear. I learned to not be intimidated with him and so did Maria and the others. But now, it seemed like he got back into being his mysterious and intimidating self. It was so weird.

"So, Maria." John broke off his silence. "I hope we make you feel better with this meal that Diane and I planned for you."

Maria gave me and John and small smile. "Yeah, thanks for this really. I'm trying my best not to think so much but I just can't help it."

"So, your sister's mad at you, huh?" Randy remarked. "Bummer. Sometimes I don't really get how girls think. They're so confusing."

Maria shot a knowing glance at me. At first I thought it was because of what Randy said but I realized otherwise. Obviously everyone didn't know the real reason behind Maria's gloominess except for Maria, Phil and me. We didn't want people to think that she's being paranoid or being too much of a 'girl' so we came up with a story that Maria's younger sister got mad at her just so we'd have a perfect alibi.

"Yeah, Janny got mad because I wasn't able to attend this party she organized for weeks." She replied. "I really am sorry for it, I'll try to make it up to her as soon as I can."

"Well, I know once you two talk again, she'll understand." John said. "This job of ours really does require a lot of sacrifices."

"That's true." I said as I looked down at the perfectly crafted wooden table to distract myself. Come to think of it, Ever since I started working for the WWE almost 3 years ago, I never got to stay at one place for more than a week. This job really does require sacrifice, lots and lots of it.

"But we'll be coming to Missouri next, right Randy?" Maria had a small spark in her eyes. "You'd see your family."

"Yeah, I guess so." Randy mumbled as he leaned her elbows on the table. He didn't look that happy to me.

"You don't seem excited." I commented.

He turned to me and shook his head. "No, I'm excited."

Even the way he said that was unconvincing. I didn't get to inquire another time since the food we ordered arrived and distracted me. We all started eating in silence, which disappointed me. All the while I thought that going out like this would turn out great for us but it only made things a lot more uncomfortable. I guess I just thought John would have the same effect on other people like he does to me. Without any effort, he could cheer me up in an instant.

"Wow! This tastes good." Maria beamed at me. "I feel nostalgic all of a sudden. My mom makes great spaghettis every Christmas. My sister and I always tried to pursue my mom to tell us the recipe but she won't. She told us she'd share it to us when we get married and have our own kids."

"Well, maybe you should tell Phil that the recipe's worth it then." Randy said and started laughing with John.

I just stared at Maria as she gave the most normal face she could. Obviously, these guys didn't know that they're making Maria feel worse.

"My mom cooks too." I quickly said to change the subject. " But out of everyone in our family, my dad's the best one. I love how he always bakes these amazing cakes every holiday. He's the one who actually taught us to bake. He saves up for the best cake for our birthday, 2 layers of chocolate and pure love. We always enjoyed it when we were younger but when Trish got into modeling, she couldn't eat that much anymore. I ate it all instead so my dad wont feel bad and think his recipe's not that good anymore."

John turned to me and gave me a warm smile. "That's really sweet of you."

I felt my cheeks burning and I tried to stop myself from blushing. "That's why I'm fatter than Trish."

I heard Maria giggle. "You're not fat, Diane. Trish is just a bit leaner. If you added a day to your exercise routine, you'd be in the best shape in no time."

"Thanks Maria, maybe I will." I said as I took another forkful of pasta. "After I eat this."

"I think you look fine." Randy's voice suddenly made me turn to him. He was looking at me with a sincere expression on his face.

"Thanks Randy." I looked at him for a moment before turning away and seeing John staring at Randy with an unreadable expression on his face. John saw me looking at him and quickly gave me a smile.

I gave him a small smile back as I continued eating. The air around us seemed confusing. There would be great comments then a moment silence. It was like a cycle that we couldn't break. There was something off about this whole thing but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

We managed to finish our meal after a while and headed back to the hotel. Our goal to cheer Maria up was quite successful because she seemed normal when we arrived at the hotel. She became a bit talkative and lively again which made me congratulate myself for a job well done. Randy, on the other hand, was still grumpy as ever. He'd laugh every now and then but I couldn't pretend like I wasn't aware that he's hiding a problem from me.

"Thanks for the lunch." Randy told John as we walked towards the elevator.

John nodded at him and smiled.

"Thanks too Diane." Randy came up to me suddenly and gave me a tight hug. "I have to go somewhere, I'll see you later."

"But, where are you going?" I asked as he walked outside of the lobby. He kept on walking and didn't answer my question, making me feel weirder. Maria, John and I were left there waiting for the elevator.

"Seems like the guy's a bit preoccupied today." John remarked as he stood beside me.

"I know." I looked up at him in question. "I wonder what's wrong."

"Did you talk to him?"

"Not yet." I sighed and looked away.

"Well, maybe that's why he's feeling down. You're not talking to him about it yet. Maybe it's something that involves you both."

"Like what?" I couldn't think of anything.

"Like, you know, his feelings for you." John's joke sounded more like a statement to me. I gave him a bad look.

"We're just friends." I was getting tired of repeating that statement over and over again even though it seemed that people wouldn't understand. "Don't put any meaning behind it."

"I just see the way he looks at you. Is that wrong?" John seemed annoyed now.

"It's wrong if you're overanalyzing it." I snapped at him and folded my arms in front of my chest.

"It's not overanalyzing." He told me. "Its called stating facts."

I could feel my forehead forming into a line. "Whatever."

"Some things are better left unsaid, Diane." Maria told me to calm me down. "Maybe the guy needs some space, you know. Let him tell you about it in his own time. I'm sure it's nothing too serious. Randy's always been the mysterious type. "

"Yeah, I guess so." I shrugged.

The elevator opened revealing Kelly Kelly. She looked like she was going somewhere important since she was wearing skintight jeans, leather boots and an elegant black coat. She waved at us as she walked out because she was busily talking with someone on the phone.

"Okay, I'll meet with you tonight. Don't worry about it." She stopped when she saw Maria then switched her cell phone to her other ear as she walked out and disappeared completely.

Maria shot me a surprised look as we walked inside of the elevator.

Something was **definitely** off.

*

That night Maria and I were sitting outside of Phil's hotel room door, which was located at the end of hallway just beside the fire exit. She insisted that we stay there until Phil comes back with Kelly so that we'd caught them in the act. I tried to talk her out of this, saying that there'd probably a slim chance that Phil and Kelly would arrive together but she was persistent. I couldn't say no.

"It's late, why isn't he still here?" Maria yawned.

I leaned my back on the wall and held my legs together, as if hugging them. It was almost midnight and I was getting sleepy too but I tried to stop myself from drowsing off.

Maria moved from her place adjacent to me until she was beside me. She leaned her back on the wall too and mimicked my position.

"Diane, I'm sorry for putting you through all this." She sighed. "I've caused you so much trouble. If it wasn't for me, John and you wouldn't have argued."

I gave out a small laugh. "It not your fault. We didn't argue that much and that didn't mean anything to me anyways. He was just being a jerk."

"It seemed to me like he was jealous." She said.

"Nah. He's like a brother to me, I'm sure he's just worried about Randy and me." I tried to come up with words to say. "It doesn't matter."

"Well, it does matter to you." She took my hand. "You love him."

I was surprised with what I just heard that I just stared at Maria for a brief moment. I tried to clear my ears, checking if I heard her right. Was I already dreaming?

"Diane, you don't need to pretend." She gave me a small smirk. "I can see through you, you're my best friend. I accept you."

I pulled my hand from hers and covered my face to stop my tears from falling. It felt good that someone accepts what I did but at the same time I felt too vulnerable. I was scared that Trish would see through me the same way Maria did.

"Since when?" She asked.

I took my hands away from my face and stared at her. "2 years."

"Diane.." She caressed my back lovingly and sympathetically. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it's wrong." I was crying now. "I didn't mean to but when Trish and John got together, I realized how much I love John. It's so wrong, I know. I wish I could stop myself from feeling this way."

She just stared back at me, urging me to talk more.

"I slept with him."

Her eyes widen with that statement. She seemed to be surprised.

"When? Where? How?" She cried out but managed to calm herself down.

"About 9 months ago. Trish and John broke up and John ran to me for advice. He told me he wasn't happy anymore. At first, I didn't mind it, you know. I didn't think that he ran to me because he wanted to be with me. Every time they broke up, I would be there for the both of them and I didn't feel anything weird about it."

Maria squeezed my hand.

"One night though, when Trish was sleeping over in the house of one of the diva's, John asked me to keep him company. I went over to his hotel room thinking that we'd just talk, you know." I wiped the tear off of my face as I tried to remember that night. The memory was locked away inside of me and I never thought I'd bring it back again, the fact made me feel weak. "When I got there, John offered a drink. Which led to another and another.."

"And then?"

"One moment we we're talking and then, he kissed me." The idea suddenly dawned on me and made me feel helpless. "I kissed him back and then that was it. At first it was okay but when we were done, I felt confused. I even tried to shower just to calm myself down. After that I felt mixture of feelings, those of which I never thought I could ever feel. I wanted to be with him so badly but I was so scared that Trish might find out. So, I sat next to him for a while determined to leave after a few hours, you know, just so I'd be back in my room in time before Trish comes back. Before I knew it, I drowsed off. I just woke up to him kissing me then we were at it again and I couldn't control myself. I felt useless but at the same time I felt good. After that one, I just started to feel really guilty. I walked out on him and told him to never talk to me again."

Maria's face was surprisingly calm. It was as if she wasn't surprised with everything I had just said. She just sat there and held my hand for a few seconds.

"Somehow, I felt like that was possible." She muttered slowly. "John always had that thing with you that even when he was with Trish, he'd always come to you first. I have always noticed that."

"I'm a bad person." I cried.

"No, you're not." Maria enclosed me in a hug. "You love him, Diane and it seems to me that he feels the same way. It's not your fault that you fell for your sister's boyfriend. You've tried to stop your feelings for him for a very long time. Besides, It's not like they were together when this happened, right?"

I nodded. "But they got together again."

"But they're not together anymore. So maybe John was saying the truth then. He really wasn't happy."

She was right. Maybe there was even a slightest bit of honesty in John's words that night and that thought comforted me.

Suddenly, we heard two voices approaching us, making us jump. Maria and I quickly stood up and headed to the fire exit, leaving the door a little bit open so we could peek.

To our shock, Phil and Kelly were walking together towards Phil's room. They stopped at the spot we previously were.

"Sorry I couldn't walk you to your hotel room." Phil smiled at Kelly.

"No it's okay. Maria would probably see us there, not a good thing." Kelly gave Phil a hug. "Goodnight Phil."

"Thanks for everything, Kelly." He told her. "I appreciate it, really. I wouldn't know what to do without you."

Maria seemed to have frozen beside me as we all watched Kelly walk back to the elevator and disappear from view. I could feel Maria's anger flowing through me as we stood there. I was surprised when she opened the door of the fire exit and ran to Phil before he could come inside of his hotel room. I was left alone to peek from the door.

"How could you?" She shouted, surprising him.

"Maria! Where'd you come from?" Phil looked stunned.

"So it's true, isn't it?" She started to cry. "How could you? I gave you everything and then you cheat on me? Fuck you!"

"It's not what you think it is!" He rebutted. "Kelly and I are just friends, Maria. I promise you that!"

"So, friends walk each other to their hotel rooms even when they know that the person's girlfriend might just be around?" There was intense anger in her voice. "Who are you tricking?"

Phil looked away and sighed. "Maria, can we talk inside?"

"No." She snapped. "You tell me everything NOW. Right here."

"I've already told you before!" He snapped back. "We're friends! Just friends! You know that, there's nothing left to say."

"Tell me!" She pushed him. "Are you sleeping with her?"

"No!"

"Why don't you just admit it?" She was turning red now. "It even says on the Internet that it's true!"

"What?" Phil sounded surprised now. "Wait, are you telling me that all these ideas of yours are from the Internet? Are you kidding me?"

Maria just stood there and stared at him before finally reciprocating. "If it's not true, it wouldn't have been there in the first place."

Phil shook his head in disappointment. "I can't believe you."

"I can't believe YOU!" Maria shouted in disbelief.

"You know the reason why I talked with Kelly?" He looked at her before fishing out something from his pockets. It turned out to be a jewelry box. "Her family knows a jeweler that makes these things. I asked her to customize one for you. For our anniversary next week."

He shoved the box into her hands.

"But you wont probably believe that, right? That one wasn't on the Internet." He took one look at her then walked inside his room, leaving Maria stunned and alone on the hallway.

Maria turned to me with tears in her eyes as she approached. She held out the box for me to see. It revealed a beautiful necklace, which had Phil and Maria's picture on it.

At the back it read:

_I will love you forever, Maria Kanellis._


	14. Chapter 13

Sorry that it had to take a month before I could upload a new chapter, I got really busy. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Please don't forget to review! Thank you so much for reading. Will try to upload the next one faster! Kisses! -Diane

**Chapter 13**

I know for certain that love is complicated.

Love can make you do things you never thought you would do. It would make you say things that would seem senseless to other people. It can make you happy but at the same time, it could drive you completely crazy.

Take it from me.

I've done some crazy things for love, so many actually, that I think I've become too naïve instead of learning from my mistakes. I don't think what Maria did was wrong, but it wasn't that right either. She knew that. Trust has always been an issue in relationships and even the seemingly perfect relationship of Maria and Phil wasn't exempted from that.

As much as I wanted to cheer her up, I wasn't able to come with Maria that much especially when we started to travel again. It seemed like everyone was so busy that we didn't have much time for each other. I often saw John but as for Randy and Maria, they seemed to be always away and I was unable to talk to them as much as I wanted to.

Randy has always been a mystery to me. Sure, we're friends and we talk a lot. I know about his family and his goals in life, but somehow I haven't learned about his love life until recently. I've always felt like he was holding something back from me, like a deep secret he didn't want anyone to know. The memory about his assault with a diva resurfaced in my mind again and it made me worry. I wasn't afraid of Randy, No. I trust him and I believe in his innocence. But somehow, even in friendships, trust can be an issue.

However, I found comfort in the fact that we were visiting Randy's hometown. Whatever it was he was thinking, he'd probably feel better once he sees his family and spends some time with them. If his problem does include a girl, I'm sure his sister Becky would know exactly what to say to him.

I kept that thought with me until we arrived in Missouri. Randy and I weren't really talking that much and it seemed like he was aloof to everyone else. I'm not quite sure why he started to act that way again. I tried calling him and talking to him a few times but he was distant. It's obvious that he made a wall around him that I couldn't break down.

Randy being this way made me worried a lot but it also gave me a chance to hang out with John more. With Randy always busy, I got to spend my free time with John and no one else. Sometime Maria would hang out with us too but she is often busy doing photo shoots these past few days, so she had to leave a lot.

On the day before our show in Missouri, the divas were inside the coliseum practicing the matches they were going to perform. Trish was in the ring with Candice since they were both scheduled for tomorrow. I watched ringside as they practiced each move on each other with Finlay, one of the professional wrestlers, carefully supervising them. The girls were both in their sweatpants and looked a bit exhausted but somehow still seemed like they were enjoying what they were doing.

Watching them wrestle made me miss going inside of the ring. The last time I got into a match was almost a year ago. Even when I was studying in Fashion School, I made it a point to attend wrestling practices so I could still participate. However, when I started working for the WWE, I couldn't find any more time in my schedule. I tried to still attend for a while but I decided to stop last year because one of the makeup artists for the company had to leave, leaving me as the only one to tend to the RAW Divas.

Maria was in the ring too, officiating the practice match. She was the assigned special guest referee for Trish and Candice's match tomorrow so she had to practice as well. Unfortunately for her, her part wouldn't be much until the end of the match. Trish pinned Candice as Maria went down and started to count.

"1, 2, 3! That's it!" Maria pretended to call for the bell as Trish and Candice stood up.

"Good job ladies. Rest up." Finlay commented as he and I started clapping. It seemed like we were the only ones watching since most of the wrestlers were backstage having lunch. Some lucky others were on their business trips, going to malls and press conferences.

Trish and Candice jumped out of the ring and took their stuff from the benches nearby. Finlay followed then disappeared backstage.

"I'm just going to take a shower!" Trish called to me as they ran back to the locker room.

Maria was still in the ring, walking around. She seemed to be thinking of something since she was moving around in circles. She stopped and looked down at me.

"Hey, Come here!" She told me.

"What for?" I didn't dare move a muscle. I was not in the mood to move that much since I was conserving my energy for tomorrow's show.

"I want to practice some moves." She beamed at me. "It'll only take a while, please!"

I shot her an annoyed look as she pressed her hands together and pleaded to me.

"Pretty please?" She was persistent.

I looked down at my sweatpants and sneakers then sighed. This morning, I had a feeling that I shouldn't be wearing gym clothes but I wasn't sure why. It was intuition, I guess. But I didn't mind it because I didn't have any reason not to. Now I knew the answer to that.

I stood up and got inside the ring slowly, as if I wanted to feel each step. Not doing this for almost a year made it somewhat a faint memory to me. I forgot what it was like to be inside the ring and actually perform and wrestle for other people's entertainment. The feeling was exhilarating.

My hands were on the corner rope as I stood there. The rough texture collided against my skin and made me excited.

"Great, now pretend we're fighting against each other." Maria had her game face on. "I'm going to run towards you and you counter me. Then, I'm going to pin you down."

"What's your benefit in that?" I wondered.

"Well, I'm trying to learn how to counter a counter." She explained. "Just do it!"

"Fine, Fine." I mumbled as I taunted her. "Bring it, Bitch."

Maria gave me a confident smirk as she ran towards me. I countered her by moving away from the corner. She held my waist from my back then pulled me down for a pin. This was a textbook maneuver and I knew my way out of it. When she pinned me down, I rolled over and covered her in the process. She didn't seem to know what to do to counter it.

"1,2,3!" I shouted as I released her and stood up. "The winner of the match, Diane Stratagias!"

Maria looked up at me and frowned. "Unfair! You weren't supposed to win!"

"Sorry, dear." I pulled her up. "I got overexcited."

"Okay." She mumbled. "But you should teach me that! I didn't know you could still wrestle. I feel like such a beginner with you."

"Sure, I'll teach you what I remember." I told her as I felt my stomach grumble. "But do you mind if we eat for a while first? I'm really hungry."

She started fixing her shirt and retying her hair. "You go on ahead, I want to practice here for a while."

"Are you sure? Do you want me to bring you something when I come back?"

"That's great!" She was beaming at me now. "Just wheat bread tuna sandwich with vegetables, please."

"Sure." I bid her goodbye and jumped out of the ring. I was almost near the backstage entrance when I heard her call out to me.

"You eating with John?"

I looked at her as she stood inside of the ring, her hands on the top ropes as she smiled at me.

"Nope. He's out! I might eat alone!" I shouted back at her.

"Okay good! You and Randy can finally talk. " I wasn't really sure what she meant by that but I just shrugged the idea of as she blew a kiss at me then turned around to practice. I just waved back at her and got backstage.

My stomach was grumbling and I was having a headache. I really wish I could hang out with Randy again, but it seemed like he wasn't in the mood most of the time. It'd be wrong to force him to go with me. But come to think of it, he should be feeling better now that we're here in Missouri. I think there's hope that he might actually be willing to go with me now.

After I changed into my casual clothes inside the diva's locker room, I decided to head to Randy's. There wasn't any harm in asking him to eat, right?

I zipped my red leather jacket up and folder my arms in front of me after knocking on Randy's locker room door. After a few moments, the door opened revealing a brunette haired girl.

"Hi there. Do you need something?" She asked me with a smile. She was wearing tight denim pants that flattered her slim legs. Her green eyes looked down at me in curiosity.

"Is Randy there?" I asked in the most casual way possible.

"He's in the shower right now. Do you want to leave a message?"

My throat dried up and I was surprisingly shocked. This was probably the girl Randy told me about a few weeks ago. I completely forgot about her and the fact that she lives in Missouri. Damn it.

"Sorry. I'm just going to talk to Randy later. I didn't mean to disturb." I mumbled as I walked away as quick as I can. She called after me but I didn't understand what she said. The diva's locker room was empty when I arrived back. I found that fact relieving since I wanted to take a few moments to catch my breath.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Trish came inside the room just in time that I sat down on the bench. She was already in her winter gear and her face was bare, ready to be made-up. She looked at me curiously.

"What happened? You look dumbfounded."

"Do I?" I felt my forehead form a straight line. I wasn't really sure what I felt regarding Randy's new girl. When I first heard about it, I really felt happy and excited for him but now that I've seen them together, all my emotions were messed up.

Okay. So I really didn't see them _together _but you get my point.

"Hey!" Trish took me by my shoulders and shook me. "What happened?"

"I'm fine!" I snapped. "I'm just tired."

"Is that really all there is to it?" She sad as if she just read my mind. My words seemed to not have convinced her as well.

I couldn't do anything but to nod and look down. My appetite seemed to have vanished all of a sudden.

*

I'm really not bothered with the fact that Randy has a new girl. I promise you that. Maybe I'm just feeling the way I do because I was surprised with how beautiful the girl is. She looked like she was taken right off of a magazine. If she was as nice as she looked, then Randy has found a great girl for her.

_Maybe he wasn't really moving away from me, he was just busy preparing to see her again._

The thoughts were still with me until the day of the show. The crowd was ecstatic and the coliseum was jam-packed. I spent most of the night watching the matches backstage. It was apparent that Vince has certainly made an effort to make this show one for the books.

Backstage, I was watching the main event on television with John. He had just finished with his match and was already relaxing. The main event was the World Heavyweight Championship match between Randy and one of the veterans of the business Triple H. I jumped in happiness when Randy emerged victorious amidst the reactions of the crowd. Randy wasn't really the popular and nice kind of wrestler but his win tonight was somehow a homage to his hometown. I'm sure his parents must be so proud.

"Oh my God!" I cheered and watched as Randy received the title belt. He held it out for everyone to see. There we're boos but the a lot more cheers erupted inside the arena. "I can't believe it!"

John stood up beside me. "Didn't you know that he was going to be champion?"

"Well.." I tried to remember. "Not really. I heard it from other people, but I didn't know he was going to win the championship today! I'm so happy for him!"

"That's great!" John hugged me and I immediately felt the warmth of his body press against my face. That feeling made me calm down for a moment. I pulled away from him after a while and gave him a small smile. There was no way I was going to stay in that position for more than 10 seconds before I started melting.

"I think I better congratulate Randy." I excused.

"Yeah sure." He nodded. "Tell him I said congrats, too."

"I will." We both smiled at each other before I walked out of the room. My relationship now with John is utterly complicated. I know deep inside of me that I still love him, but being like this with him now is okay for me. It's better than not being with him at all, I guess. I'm afraid that if I try to do something about us, I'd only end up hurting people I love. I'd definitely hurt Trish and I don't want that.

I walked to Randy's locker room and saw him standing by the door. It seemed like he had just came from the ring and he was still sweaty and red. He had a smile on his face though as he held his title on his shoulder. A few people were surrounding him, most of whom I'm not familiar with. They were all congratulating him and Randy thanked them. I decided to wait until they were gone before I approached him.

"Randy! Congratulations!" I ran to him and gave him the biggest hug possible. It was when I had my arms around him that I realized how much I missed him. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you Diane." I heard him sigh as he hugged me tighter.

"Ouch, ouch." I could feel the gold plate of the belt poking my skin so I pulled away. "That thing can hurt people and I do mean that literally."

He laughed and stared back at me with an amused expression in his eyes.

"I miss you." I couldn't stop myself from blurting it out. The way Randy looked like made me realize how long it was since we last talked to each other. His eyes had a different glow now since the last time. I had a feeling that the girl had something to do with it.

He looked at me as a line formed on his forehead. He sighed then pulled me again for a hug. "I missed you too, Diane. You don't know how much."

"You suddenly got all weird on me." My emotions started pouring all of a sudden. I've been keeping them too long that I realized I couldn't take any more. There's too much in my heart that I have to let a few things out. I pulled away from him and stared straight into his eyes. "Are you mad at me or something?"

He shook his head slowly as he looked down. "I'm sorry, there are a lot of things you need to know-"

"Randy!"

A familiar voice interrupted us. We turned towards the entrance of the locker room and saw the girl standing there with a big smile on her face. "You won! Congratulations!"

I watched as she ran and jumped on Randy. He took her with arms wide open and then shared a hug. They looked so cute that I couldn't help but smile.

"I'll go now. You both enjoy the night." I started to walk away.

"Wait Diane!"

I turned around and found them both staring at me. Randy seemed like he was about to tell me something but we were once again interrupted when Randy's parents arrived and hey all hugged and congratulated Randy. As I watched them, I started to remember my family. Good thing I was traveling with Trish so I feel less homesick.

"Mom, Dad, this is Diane." Randy introduced me after they settled down.

I gave them both the best smile possible and shook their hands. "Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Orton."

"Oh please, dear, call me Elaine." Randy's mother gave me a warm smile in return. She looked beautiful with her dark colored hair and green eyes. She pointed at her husband. "This is Bob. Now, dear greet the young lady."

Bob looked at me and smiled. "It's very nice to meet you. I've heard all about your work here in the WWE. I applaud you for doing your best. The divas look fantastic."

I blushed a little. "Thank you sir, I'm just doing my job. I think all girls deserve pampering and to feel beautiful."

"Well said!" Randy placed his arm on my shoulder. "That's my girl."

I glanced at Randy and then to his girlfriend, waiting for her reaction. She just smiled at me and did nothing, which surprised me.

"Well, Randy go on and get dressed. We're going to celebrate." Elaine told him.

Randy nodded, excused himself and then headed to his locker room.

"Diane why don't you join us?" Bob asked.

I shook my head instantly. "Randy needs time with his family sir. I'm sure they miss all of you."

"Well, we'd love to have you with us. Randy would talk about you a lot, you know. It seems like you made him quite happy." Elaine said.

"It's nothing like that, Mrs. Orton!" I rebutted quickly. "Randy and I are good friends and we get along very well, that's it."

"Oh silly, girl!" She slapped my arm lightly. "You don't have to blush so much."

I looked at the girl and gave her a small smile. "I'm sorry. Randy and I aren't what you think we are. I hope you don't mind."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Mind that my brother has a new girl?" She giggled. "Why the hell would I mind?"

I froze. I began looking at Bob, Elaine and Becky simultaneously. As I stared at the three of them, I finally realized that they all looked alike.

"Becky?"

She nodded. "Wait, you didn't think that..?"

"Oh my God!" I blurted out and covered my mouth quickly. The embarrassment was quickly crawling inside my body.

"You though Becky is Randy's girlfriend?" Bob had an amused expression on his face.

I nodded as they all started laughing. I wanted to disappear right then and there. Why do I assume so much?

"That's why you ran away yesterday when I answered the door. You thought I'd kick the hell out of you, didn't you?"

There was no point in denying it so I just nodded. Despite the warmth coming from my leather jacket, I felt ice-cold in embarrassment. Becky comforted me by giving me a warm smile. She seems to be only amused with what I said.

They were all still laughing by the time Randy got out of his locker room. He was wearing a crisp white shirt and black pants. It was obvious from his face that he was glowing with happiness. Somehow I was right, Randy would feel better once he comes home.

"What's all the fuss about?" He asked us.

"We'll tell you over dinner." Becky smiled at him then to me. "Diane, I'd really appreciate it if you come with us. That's a request from the girlfriend."

I felt my cheeks flush again. "But-"

"C'mon, Diane. I need to know what this is all about and I'm not letting you run away without explaining it." Randy smirked at me.

Obviously I had no other choice but to agree. Tonight, I was going to have dinner with the Orton family.


	15. Chapter 14

I had fever last night and I wasn't really feeling all good. However, I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer so here's Chapter 14. As usual, Reviews are appreciated very much. I'm going to write more once I feel better. Thanks for reading! :) -D

**Chapter 14**

Hours later I found myself inside a fancy restaurant surrounded by Randy and his family. Now I knew what it felt like to meet a boy's family for the first time. It's like I wasn't sure what to do and what to say. The butterflies inside my stomach were soaring. All of my past boyfriends never had the chance to introduce me to their families. It was either because we we're too young for that or because we never got chance to do so.

"I can't believe you thought Becky was my girlfriend!" Randy couldn't stop himself from laughing to the extent of having tears in his eyes.

It seems like everyone hasn't gotten over the fact that I assumed about Becky and Randy. Even up to now they were laughing about it. I'm not offended, though. It was really funny anyways.

"Well, can you blame me?" I laughed. "You guys looked good together!"

"Yuck!" Becky cried in disgust. "That is so not true."

"Everyone looks good when they're with me, right Becky?" Randy had a smug on his face as he blew a kiss at her.

"Sometimes I wonder where you get your confidence." She mumbled. "It's overflowing."

Everyone started laughing again. I was happy to see Randy back to his old, real self again. It's a part of him that he rarely shows to other people. I felt touched with the fact that he wasn't pretending when he was with me.

"So Diane, you've been doing make-up for a long time?" Elaine asked as the food arrived and we started eating.

I fixed my pink off-shoulder top a bit and then nodded. " Yes ma'am. I started when I was in college then I went straight to Fashion School."

"Then it must really be your passion then. Good for you." She gave a sincere smile that was followed by silence.

Randy was sitting beside me and adjacent to us were his parents and his sister. I wasn't exactly sure why when we first got inside the restaurant Randy's family made it a point for Randy and me to sit next to each other. I had a feeling they we're getting the wrong idea about us.

"Too bad Nathan isn't here." Bob sighed.

I immediately remembered about Randy's younger brother Nathan. Randy had mentioned before that he was away for a vacation with their relatives in some other state. He was also training to become a wrestler.

They all started talking about their family and plans for the future. Becky was applying for Med School in the next year so they we're all excited for her. In between their conversations, a fan or two would come up to Randy and Bob to ask for an autograph or a picture. I found it sweet that they wouldn't mind agreeing to the requests of the people.

Seeing their family and hearing them talk made me feel nostalgic and homesick. I really wished I'd see my parents again. It's been months since we last went to Toronto for a WWE tour. I'm sure my parents felt the same way for us. Being away from family is a very hard thing.

"You miss your family, don't you?" Randy stopped me from daydreaming.

I cleared my throat and looked at him. "Yeah a bit. I just miss talking to them like this."

"Dear, I'm sure they miss you too. At least you have your sister with you, right?" Elaine had a comforting look on her face.

I nodded again. "Yes, it's great that despite everything, we still get to be with each other. Family's everything."

"Kudos to that my girl." Bob beamed at me before he drank some wine.

So far everything's been going on well. In fact, I'm starting to feel a bit comfortable about this whole thing. Trish was so excited when she first heard the news that I was going to eat with Randy's family tonight. Along with everyone else, she started to think that Randy and I were getting serious.

That idea scared me. Aside from me not feeling that way for Randy now, I was also thinking of what John would probably say. Sometimes I wonder whether I'm really a bad person or if I just make real bad decisions.

"Randy, Samantha came over the other night." Becky said with a serious look on her face. "She wants you to be there on Saturday, you know."

I looked at Randy and watched as his jaws locked. He seemed to have cringed when he heard what Becky said. Whoever Samantha was, she had a great deal of effect on Randy. Was she the girl he told me about?

"Well, tell her I'm not going." He replied. Randy didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it any further.

"Randy, Samantha is a good friend of our family. Despite what happened to the both of you, I think she deserves your support. She doesn't want to get married without your blessing." Elaine's voice was comforting.

Okay, okay. I'm not going to guess any more. I'm done with assuming.

"Mom, I already told her it's fine but I don't want to be there." His face was serious and for a brief moment we all just stared at him. He sighed then smiled. "Besides, if she seems me there she might change her mind and not marry that guy."

Becky chuckled. "Well, I'm going. I bought this beautiful light pink dress and I'm ready."

"Light pink?" I felt my energy soar up. Smiling, I turned to Becky. "The makeup you put on should be neutral tones then. Play with gold, browns and whites."

Becky looked at me embarrassingly as she tilted her head a bit. "Actually.." She started to say. "I'm not really good with that. I was thinking that since you're here, maybe you could.. you know, do me over?"

"A makeover?" I rephrased. "Sure! No problem. I'd love to."

Becky looked at me as if I had just said the most amazing thing in the world. Her face literally shined.

"Thank you! I can't believe you're going to do this for me despite your schedule!" She said every word so quickly. "Do I have to pay you?"

"Becky, of course you're going to pay." Randy cut her off. "Diane does this for a living. Don't expect to get everything for free."

I shook my head. "No, it's okay. There's no need to pay me. It'll be like my advanced graduation gift for you."

"You are so cool." She sighed.

We all started laughing until Randy interrupted.

"Diane, you don't have to do that." He looked at me as if he was uncomfortable. I placed a hand on his shoulder to assure him it was okay.

"Becky is like family to me, Randy. It's fine." I smiled at him.

What I said was true. Randy's family reminded me so much of my own. It was like I was in a family reunion with my cousins during Christmas. That's how at home I felt with them. I crossed my fingers hoping they felt the same for me.

"Since you're coming Diane. Do you mind accompanying Randy to Samantha's wedding?" Elaine asked me.

I wasn't sure if I heard her right so I just stared at her for a moment. I felt Randy stiffen beside me.

"Mom, I already said I wouldn't be going her wedding. Don't drag Diane into this." His was serious again.

"Dear, I already told Samantha you would go. Don't hold a grudge against her just because of everything that happened."

"I'll go if I want to go!" He almost yelled. "Don't ask Diane too many favors!"

Randy voice made me nervous. If he didn't want me to be with him there, I wouldn't mind. I know he wants to be with his other girl. Maybe his family just didn't know about her yet. I have to help him get out of this.

"Ma'am it's okay." My voice cracked a bit. "I think Randy should choose who he wants to go with and if he wants to go. I appreciate it that you would think of me that way, though. But I'm sure a lot of girls are dying to see and be with Randy now that he's back home."

Elaine looked at me then nodded. "Okay, thank you."

"You've got a point there, Diane." Bob started laughing. "Since Randy arrived here in Missouri, his ex-girlfriends started calling again."

Randy looked at me and gave me a small apologetic smile. Somehow I saw in his eyes that he wanted to thank me as well for what I did. I nodded subtly in return.

*

Dinner tonight was the best I had in months. I almost forgot what it was like to have you're family around you. The way they would annoy you and yet show how much they love you by their actions and words.

Tonight I saw a different side of Randy. I saw what it was like for him to be embarrassed and at the same time helpless. He always ended up laughing at himself and every memory his mom narrated to me.

After dinner, we all went back to the hotel together. It was a long day and we we're all very tired. I felt like I needed to sleep soon or else I'd collapse. I checked my wristwatch for the time: 11:30 pm. Randy would walk me back to my hotel room after we bid goodbye to his family.

"I really appreciated what you did for me back there." He said when we we're alone in the elevator.

I looked at him and saw it in his face that he was embarrassed. "It's okay, Randy. I understand what it's like to hide a relationship from your family."

"What do you mean?" He seems to be taken aback with what I just said.

I tried to hide my face from him since I was scared he'd look right through me. "I mean, with your girl. It looks to me like you haven't told your family about her."

He was silent for a while as the elevator stopped on my floor. We both got out simultaneously and started walking. My room was at the end of the corridor, right next to the fire exit.

"Diane, wait." Randy pulled me to a halt when we were halfway through the corridor. I felt his grip tighten on me as I looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He took his hand from me and sighed. "I'd appreciate it if you come with me to Samantha's wedding."

I looked at him like he was kidding. Why would he suddenly ask me that? What about the other girl?

"What about the other girl?" I repeated out loud the question I formed inside of my head.

He ran his fingers through his hair and looked at me directly. "I'd appreciate it if you'd be the one to come with me. You always know what to say at the right time. With you there, I might be able to live through it. Please."

For the months that I've known Randy, this was probably the first time I saw him plead for something that I couldn't help but nod to his request.

"Okay. I'll support you." I murmured. "If that's what you want."

"Thank you, Diane. I appreciate it." He smiled at me genuinely.

"I just hope no one would get mad at me or something, Randy. Tell her that you're planning to go with me instead of her, make her understand."

"She will." He kissed me on the cheek before running back to the elevator. "I'm going to tell her now! Thanks!"

I watched intently as he disappeared towards the direction of the elevator. Shaking my head in amusement, I started walking to my room again. The whole hallway was quiet and it seemed like most people were already asleep. It was either that or they were doing something freaky.

I stopped in front of my hotel room and fished for my cardkey inside of my handbag. I was about to open the door when I felt two big hands cover my eyes from behind.

"Randy! I thought you were leaving?" I shouted as I tried to pull the hands away from my face. Suddenly, I turned around and found not Randy in front of me but John.

"I guess you weren't expecting me." He said slowly as he stared at me. He had a small smile on his face that made my heart skip a beat again.

"John! What are you doing here?"

He looked like he'd been waiting for quite a while. The sweat was already forming on the sides of his face.

"I came to congratulate you and Randy." His voice was calm and almost a whisper. "I heard you met his family today."

"John, Randy and I are just friends." I answered, hoping that he'd believe me. "He has someone else."

"You mean?" He approached me slowly. "Everyone was saying you guys got together. I thought it was true."

"I funny that you believe in rumors." I laughed. "Is that the reason you were waiting for me to come back?"

"Partly." He admitted as he gave me a warm smile. "I was actually going to ask you to do something for me."

"What is it?" Actually, I'd agree to whatever he wanted to in a heartbeat.

"Bring Maria up to the rooftop." He glanced at his wristwatch. "Let's say, in 5 minutes?"

"Why?" I wondered what he had in store for her.

"Don't ask." He laughed. "I just want you both up there. I'll see you soon." He walked away.

*

Thank God Maria wasn't used to asking too much questions because if not, I wouldn't have lead her to the rooftop without an interrogation. Whatever John was planning, I'm sure it'll be good for Maria's aching heart. Tomorrow was supposed to be Maria and Phil's anniversary but they still haven't talked to each other. It breaks my heart that things have to be this way between the two of them. I'm praying that John has a good plan tonight.

We arrived to the rooftop and were immediately struck with awe. The whole place was arranged in such a way that it looked like a dinner set for two. There was a table in the center and surrounding it were flowers arranged differently.

I heard Maria gasp beside me when we saw Phil seated there.

He saw us by the entrance and stood up, holding a bouquet of white roses in his hands. It was obvious that he was feeling nervous by the way he was holding them.

"Happy Anniversary, Baby." He said to Maria, his voice almost cracking.

She started crying after he said that. Actually, I felt like crying too.

I watched as both Maria and Phil walked towards each other with an unreadable expression on their faces. It was obvious how much they longed for each other.

Maria finally started to run towards him and they hugged each other. As I stood there, I felt like I was watching a Hollywood movie. They started to kiss each other and I knew that was my cue to get out. I walked back to the elevator feeling giddy. It was like all of my fatigue disappeared when I saw Maria and Phil back together.

I was almost at the elevator when I heard someone call me.

"Diane!"

I turned around and saw John standing by the Fire Exit. He was grinning from side to side and it was apparent that he was happy as well because of Maria and Phil. I approached him and he enclosed me in a hug.

"Thank God they had the anniversary they deserved." He told me.

"Did you plan all this?" I was shocked on how much effort he gave for this to happen.

"A bit." He blushed when he admitted it. "Phil and I were thinking about it for a long time. Of Course, I believe you didn't think that he was still angry because of what happened. He loves her so much to actually be angry with her."

"But he didn't talk to her until today."

"Sometimes, people have to think of some things before speaking, Diane." He said as he looked directly into my eyes. "Or else they might say the wrong thing."

All I could reply to him was a small smile. He pulled me towards him and told me to sit next to him in the metal stairs. We just sat next to each other for a while before I felt him take my hand.

He pushed my head down to his shoulder and he sighed.

"John.."I started.

"Don't argue with me on this one. Just stay put." He scolded me.

I did what I was told and didn't move a muscle. I just rested my head on his shoulder as I felt him squeezing my hand. I had no idea why he wanted to do this, but it made me so happy. It was perfect. The more time I spent with him like this made me realize how much I've longed for this. How much I want to be with him.

"Are you sure you and Randy aren't together?" He asks me. His voice was so gentle, so soothing.

"No." I chuckled. "I don't know why people would think that way. Randy and I are just friends."

"That's good." He murmured.

I sat up and stared at him. I wondered what he meant with what he just said. He was still holding my hand as he stared back at me. His eyes pierced through me and I just watched as he started to lean in.

Oh God, please don't let him kiss me. If that happens, I may not be able to move away from him anymore. I may not be able to control my feelings any longer. Give me a sign, please. I closed my eyes and prayed for the best.

'Am I doing the right thing, God?' I asked through my thoughts.

"Diane!" I heard Maria's voice resonated to us, distracting us from what we were doing. "Are you here?"

We both sat up as quick as we could and showed ourselves to Maria and Phil. Seemingly forgetting what we were about to do.

Okay, God. That was a quick answer.


	16. Chapter 15

The song choice is dedicated to my favorite singer, Michael Jackson. R.I.P.

Thanks for reading! I assure you better parts will be coming. :) Don't forget to rate and review. I appreciate all the reviews you've been sending. The next parts will be awesome, I promise. I'll try to post them as soon as I can. Thank you for the inspiration! :) -Diane

**Chapter 15**

"They way you make me feel! You really turn me on!"

I woke up to the sound of Trish singing what seems to be a Michael Jackson song. It was more like shouting to me rather than singing. Slowly, I sat up on the bed and looked around. Trish was on the dresser curling her hair as she continued singing.

"I never felt so in love before! Promise baby you'll love me forevermore!"

She was tapping her bedroom slippers on the floor as she sang. Her bathrobe was almost off of her, showing her black lace underwear underneath. She looked like didn't have a care in the world.

I rubbed my eyes a bit and cleared my throat. "Morning. What time is it?"

She seemed surprised as she turned to look towards me, stopping what she was doing.

"Morning little sister." Her smile almost covered the whole of her face. "It's 7 am, wakey-wakey!"

I yawned and sat down again, covering myself with blankets. Since Maria and Phil made up three days ago, it seems like everything was back to normal. Even Randy started hanging out with me again although he hasn't told me why he moved away before. Us being together often also didn't help much with stopping the rumors. Everyone still believed we were together.

"You go on ahead, I'm just going to sleep here for a while." I murmured almost asleep.

"What did you say?" She shouted at me.

I didn't feel like getting up so early in the morning. Today was a live taping for RAW in St. Louis so everyone was up and about, trying his or her best to prepare. I, on the other hand, felt as lazy as a bear in winter. I was still thinking of too many things that the reality of waking up and facing them would be so tiring.

The fact that I have to tell Randy's family that Randy and I are not an item is heartbreaking. They're so nice to me. In fact, yesterday when I got home from a Diva photo shoot, Randy gave me a box of cookies that his mom baked for me. He said she wanted to give it to me as a thank you gift for persuading Randy into going to Samantha's wedding. Inside was a small note in her handwriting that said: "Thank you for taking care of my son. Hope to see you soon. –Elaine"

Then there was this thing with John. WHATEVER IT WAS. I feel like I've reached my limit with him. If he'd try to kiss me again and we'd actually do it, I might just melt in his arms and decide to run away with him or something.

"Hey! You said you were going to come with me today!" Two hands started shaking my shoulders. "Wake up!"

I kept my eyes closed, determined not to give in to Trish's pleas.

"What!" I yelled, keeping myself covered with the blanket. "When did I say that?"

"Yesterday, dummy!" She was beside me now, trying to pull me up. "You promised me you'd do me over then go with me to wrestling practice!"

"Why the hell would you want to be fully made up when you're just going to wrestling practice?" I complained as I turned the other way around.

"Well, is it wrong if I want to be pretty for someone?"

That woke me up.

Slowly, I sat up and looked at Trish. "You have someone new?"

"It's not really new.." She started to curl strands of her using her finger. "It's someone old who just came back."

For a moment I just stared at her. I wasn't sure why but when she mentioned about someone coming back in her life, John's image flashed into my mind. I was dead scared that they were seeing each other again especially now that I've completely fallen for John. I wanted to cry.

"Okay, Fine." Trish brushed me off as she stood up and headed back to the dresser. "You don't have to look all puppy dog on me. You can sleep for now. I'll let it pass."

"Trish, is this new old guy you're referring to.."I tried to fish for more information.

"Just go back to sleep, lazy." She grunted.

Trish has always been like this. She rarely tells me about whomever she's dating unless it's someone I know well. Usually, she'll just arrive one day with someone in her arms and she introduces him as her new boyfriend. Oh God, I hope this old-new guy isn't John. I'll keep my fingers crossed with that thought.

*

Another thing that Trish does which I really hate is not telling me when she gets into an accident. Maybe it's her one way of not making me worry but it's not working for me. I'd rather that she tells me herself before I hear it through the grapevine. It makes me feel like I'm not part of the immediate family. I absolutely hate it. I despise worrying.

That's what I felt exactly when I heard that Trish had a wrong landing outside of the ring and dislocated her left shoulder and wrist. I wasn't sure how fast I fixed myself so I could come to the arena as quick as I could. Luckily, the doctor was already in the arena in preparation for the show tonight so he was able to check Trish's condition immediately. I wasn't sure exactly how everything happened so I went straight to the clinic when I arrived.

Trish was lying on the small bed when I got there. She was slowly caressing her arm, which was already plastered. Her whole left arm was enclosed in bandages, especially around her wrist. She beamed when she saw me arrive.

"Little sister!" She cried for me as I approached her.

"What happened?" I was panting like a dog because I was running to get there.

"She landed wrong, shoulders first on the outside of the ring." Vince McMahon was standing not far from where I was. Beside him were Maria and the Dr. Richardson.

"She was supposed to do an outside cross body to me but her feet got tangled up in the top rope so she ended up falling." Maria sighed.

"It's nothing really. I've been injured countless times before, this isn't new for me." Trish told me as a way of assurance.

"Well, it would've been better if you called me immediately." I replied, worried as much as I was annoyed.

"Oh C'mon, there wasn't any need to. This will be gone in a while." Trish tried to convince me.

"Doctor, approximately how long would this injury last?" Vince asked Doctor Richardson.

He looked at Trish then to Vince with a sympathetic expression in his eyes. His eyebrows formed a straight line as he cleared his throat.

"Well, basing from what I have seen today in Miss Stratus' x-rays.." His voice was deep and professional. "She dislocated her left shoulder devastatingly. With the help of rehab, I'm thinking she'll be out for 2 months."

"That long?" Trish seemed to digest all the information just now. "I mean, it's just a small sprain isn't it?"

"I'm afraid that isn't the case, Ms. Stratus. I advise you to not move much for a while."

"No, I can do this." Trish looked defeated as she slowly sat up on the bed, hurting herself in the process.

"Will you please just listen to the doctor?" She was getting on my nerves.

The doctor bid us goodbye and left the room.

"Well then, I guess we would have to cancel your match for tonight ladies." Mr. McMahon was preparing to leave. "Rest well, Trish. Call me if you need anything."

"Wait!" Maria cried. "Mr. McMahon, you can't cancel my match tonight. I've been preparing for this match for weeks. Maybe we can find a replacement for Trish."

"Maria," Vince looked like he already made up his mind. He fixed his crisp gray suit and tugged on his dress shirt. "Our storyline includes Trish. We can't just put you in a match with a different diva. That would just be a waste of match space. I'd rather put a different diva match up."

"But I haven't had a match for weeks, sir." Maria was almost pleading.

"Unless Trish has a miraculous recovery, Maria. I don't think you'll be having a match tonight." Vince said. He bid us goodbye as he started walking towards the door.

I was lost in my own thoughts until I noticed Maria staring at me. Exactly when our eyes met, her expression changed like she had just came up with an incredible idea.

"Diane can wrestle, Mr. McMahon!" She yelled before he was completely out of the door.

I felt Trish stiffen up beside me and so did I. Whatever Maria was planning, I'm not sure exactly if I would agree to it.

Vince looked at Maria then to me. "Is that true Diane?"

My throat was so dry that I couldn't speak. Maria urged me to speak up. Actually, it was more like she was threatening me.

"She studied wrestling throughout high school and college." Trish answered for me.

Vince looked like he was happy. "How come you never told me that, Diane?"

"Sir, I work here as a make-up artist." I answered with what's left of my voice. "I am not planning to be a wrestler in any way."

"And why is that?" Vince asked.

"I believe my sister is the one who is entitled to that career. I'm very much happy with my own, sir."

He nodded. "True enough."

I sighed in relief despite the look Maria gave me. She stared at me like she wanted to punch me in the face for not standing up and supporting her. I just didn't want Trish to feel like I'm taking anything from her. I've decided long ago I would give up wrestling so we wouldn't be compared to one another.

"When was the last time you wrestled?" Vince asked me with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

" About a year-"

"Just last week, we were practicing Mr. McMahon!" Maria cut me off before I could explain. "In fact, she's even better than me. She defeated me in practice."

"Where was I during that time?" Trish wondered.

"In the locker room." I murmured, almost in defeat.

Vince looked at me then to Maria, nodding.

"I'll see you both in the ring in 10 minutes. Maria, give her some wrestling gear. If you both impress me then we'll have a match tonight." He said before he walked out.

Maria yelled in happiness as she sprinted out of the room. Trish kept on asking about the match Maria and I had, she sounded furious that I didn't tell her about it. I, on the other hand, felt like throwing up.

Never in my life had I thought that I'd be given a chance to wrestle in front of Mr. McMahon. It was like a dream come true. In a way, it was also a nightmare since I know I'd just end up embarrassing myself. My thoughts were interrupted when John came inside the clinic. He smiled at me then looked at Trish.

"Heard about your accident." He told her. "How are you feeling?"

Trish smiled at him like his mere presence was enough for her to feel better. He approached us with a gentle smile on his face.

"I'm feeling okay although the doctor said I'd be out for 2 months." She explained, her voice was sad.

"That's bad. I was kind of looking forward to your match with Maria." John said. "Maria has been practicing for weeks."

"No need to worry, there's a chance Diane would proxy for me tonight."

"Really?" John looked at me with anticipation in his eyes.

As I stood there staring at both of them, I felt like my world was spinning. Everything Trish mentioned to me earlier this morning resurfaced in my head. When I didn't speak, Trish took John's hand and thanked him for coming.

Oh my God. Are they back together?

I wasn't sure if John saw the tears forming in my eyes before he subtly took his hand away from Trish's. He looked at me and opened his mouth to talk.

"Diane!" Maria came inside the room, panting. She was holding what looked like leggings and a sports bra. I figured she was going to ask me to wear them.

"Maria.." I was supposed to refuse when she took me by the hand and pulled me out of the room. We ran out leaving John and Trish behind.

"You can't force someone to wrestle for you!" I shouted as we stopped outside of the clinic door.

"Diane, I would do anything for you, you know that." She looked like she was about to cry too. "And I know I've asked you for a lot of favors, but please do this for me. There's no harm in trying and I believe in you. You're talented and you have the skill. Please help me get this chance."

She must've seen the uncertainty in my eyes because she suddenly hugged me. "I don't think they're back together."

"But did you see how they looked at each other?" I stopped myself from shouting.

She caressed my back slowly. "I'm sorry for being selfish."

I sighed in defeat. There was nothing I could do but to suck this up and do this for my best friend.

"Okay." I moved away from her and nodded. "Let's do this."

*

Our practice match greatly impressed Vince McMahon so without batting an eyelash, he agreed to push through with the match tonight, which would be broadcasted live throughout the world.

No biggie, right?

To my horror, I was asked to wear Trish's supposed to be wardrobe for the night which was composed of skin-tight black leather leggings and bra. I spent probably half an hour trying to decide whether I would really wear them or not. In the end, Maria managed to push me to wear them. Thank God I didn't eat much today or else I would've ended up looking like a pregnant woman.

Vince's instructions were clear: win the match and pretend to be a newly hair-dyed Trish Stratus. Thankfully, I've always watched Trish's matches so I was familiar with what she does inside and outside of the ring. Though I wasn't sure if I could do Trish's special move the 'Stratusfaction', so Vince told me to just win like I did the last match I had with Maria, with a simple roll-up.

When I was all made up (by a different but good makeup artist Vince hired for today), even Trish urged me to do great tonight. She looked like she didn't mind me pretending to be her although at times I would catch her looking down at her broken wrist and sighing. I didn't want to pretend to be Trish, honestly. I'm a wrestling fan myself so I know it would be unfair to the fans if they found out I was just some phony pretending to be their idol. I hope they don't notice or else I'd be even guiltier. I'm not really sure how much more guilt I could keep inside.

I wore Trish's pink leather boots to finish off my look. Surprisingly, I didn't get scared when I first saw myself in the mirror. I do look like Trish; only this Trish who was looking back at me seemed to have just eaten a bucket of fried chicken. Nevertheless, I looked good.

"Goodluck sis, you're match's next." Trish told me as she sat next to the dresser inside the locker room. Her hand was still in plasters and she was having difficulties in moving and eating. Thankfully, she wrote on her right hand so she had no problem in signing documents and the like.

"Trish, I don't think I should do this." I hesitated, not moving my eyes away from the girl in the mirror. "I don't think I can."

"Diane," Her voice was soothing. "You know deep down in your heart that you're even better than me. You just never pursued wrestling because you're always like this."

She emphasized on the word 'This' as she pointed at me.

"What do you mean?" I wondered. It's impossible for her not to know that the reason I didn't pursue wrestling was because of her and because I didn't want her to feel like we were competing for something. Besides, mom told me to give way as well. Has Trish been oblivious of all this?

"You never had the guts to do anything in your life." She told me. "You're always leaning on 'What if's', that's why nothing good ever happens to you."

I looked back at the girl in the mirror and saw that she was about to burst in tears. Trish was always insensitive to everyone's feelings except her own.

"Look, I'm going to wait outside for my match to start." I mumbled as I ran to the door. My exposed tummy seems to be in knots right now and I didn't know what I could do to calm down. I leaned my head on the corridor wall and closed my eyes to relax my nerves.

"Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling. Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand? Do you feel the same?"

I heard Randy's hoarse voice sing to my ear that I couldn't help but smile. Slowly, I turned to him and saw him looking down at me with a grin on his face.

"Wow." His jaws dropped when he fully saw me.

"Are you singing 'Eternal Flame' to me? Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes I am. And I assure you that it works. My amazing singing voice will relax you." He joked. "So, are you a full-time wrestler now?"

"No." I shook me head rapidly. "Just a replacement. Maria wanted to wrestle tonight so I'll do this for her. She was looking forward to her and Trish's match for weeks."

"You always do stuff for other people." He said in an almost disgust tone. "Don't you ever get tired?"

"If it's for people I love, then I don't consider it as a chore." I smiled. "Speaking of which, are you ready for this Saturday?"

He scratched his head and sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm not forcing you to do this, am I?"

"Didn't you just hear what I said?" I almost laughed.

"So basing from what I understood," He had an amused expression on his face. "That sacrifice means that you love me?"

I nodded. "Of Course Randy." I spotted John approaching us with a casual smile on his face. He caught my eye immediately and I stopped and waited for him. He was already in his wrestling gear, which consisted of a t-shirt and denim shorts.

"Hey Diane." He gave me a small hug. "Goodluck on your debut match tonight."

"It's not my debut match." The way he looked at me made me blush. "People wont even notice I'm new."

"I think they will." He casually placed his hand on my shoulder. "Be careful out there."

Randy gave us a confused look, which made me move away from John. However, He just continued staring at us like he knew something was up.

I was about to change the subject when I hear one of the staffers call my name.

"Diane, you're up in 2 minutes!" She says as she points at the direction of the curtain where I would come out. I nodded at her then to the boys.

"Here goes." I almost had no voice because of my nervousness.

Randy and John both wished me luck in their respective ways: Randy with a hug and John with a peck on the cheek. My stomach felt like it was about to burst out of my body any minute as I walked. Maria was already waiting behind the curtain when I arrived.

"Hey enemy." She greeted me as I approached. She was in her wrestling gear as well. Her red hair was in braids and she looked pretty excited. Her eyes were literally shining. "Nervous?"

I nodded. "Pretty much. You?"

"I'm so ready to kick some ass!" She declared ecstatically as she hopped up and down.

"In this case, it's my ass you're ready to kick."

"Exactly!" She cried happily. "Diane, you don't know how happy you've made me. I don't care if this is one night, at least today I have a chance to impress everyone with my new in-ring skills."

"No problem." I said in a manner that was almost matter-of-factly. A girl came beside us to say that Maria was up next. She was the same petite, brown haired girl who informed me earlier. Maria gave her a thumbs-up as her music started flaring through the speakers.

Maria blew me a kiss as she ran out of the curtain. When she did. I managed to see a portion of what it looked like outside. There were probably a thousand people watching inside the arena, which made me start to feel faint. Unconsciously, I started to walk backwards as If I was getting ready to run and leave. I felt two hands grab my shoulders from behind and stop me.

"Don't be nervous. You can do this." John whispered the words to my ears.

Without looking at him, I shook my head. "Did you see how many people are there? I don't think I can." My voice was trembling and I felt my body was too.

"Don't think of them as people, think of them as friends." His voice soothed me as he rubbed my shoulder blades. "Besides, if all else fails at least they think you are Trish, right?"

"You shouldn't wish that about someone you're dating." I grunted.

"What? Where'd you hear that from?" He asked me, he seriously sounded surprised.

"I'm not blind, John." I sighed. The girl from earlier came back and gave John and me a look before telling me I was up next. Maybe she was even confused if I was really Trish. The way she looked at us made me feel like she was wondering if we were a couple.

I moved away from John, removing his hands from my shoulder. "This is it."

I didn't want to look at him and see the guilt in his face like before. Instead, I just looked down and sighed.

"Goodluck Diane." I heard him say. "Maybe after your match, we can talk?"

My heart cringed and I could feel my tears forming again. If John was going to admit to me that he and Trish were together again after my match, then I'd rather not leave the ring. Trish's music started blaring out of the speakers and it made me jump in nervousness.

"Maybe." I told him before I ran out of the curtain and was greeted by the cheers of the fans.

What I saw out there shocked me beyond belief.


	17. Chapter 16

Sorry I was supposed to upload this part early yesterday but it seemed like had some problems with document uploading. Thankfully, it got through now. Quite a short chapter after a long delay. So sorry about that. However, one of my fave parts of the story will be next so do watch out for that one. :) As usual, reviews and suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks for reading! -D

**Chapter 16**

The crowd went into frenzy as soon as I was out of the curtain. The music was so loud but somehow the crowd managed to surpass its intensity. I stood in the center of the stage and looked at the whole of the arena, trying to regulate my breathing. I had no idea that Trish was loved this much. Sure, I've seen her and her fans together but being actually here is different. I don't know why Trish would even want to leave.

I raised my right hand up like Trish always does before running down to the ramp and shaking hands with some fans. Jerry 'The King' Lawler's voice was clear with excitement as he spoke through his microphone. He was seated next to fellow commentator Jim Ross in the commentator's table.

"Wow! Trish looks smoking with her brown hair! What do you think JR?"

"I think she looks great whatever her hair color is!"

I walked up to the ring and did the same hand gesture Trish does: throwing my right hand up in the air and pointing to the heavens. Trish had mentioned to me before that her pointing at the sky symbolizes her ideology that 'the sky is the limit'.

Glancing at Maria, I saw her trying her best to not smile at me. According to the storyline, Maria and Trish's characters were in a feud for CM Punk. Reality wise it was a really funny storyline, but the fans seemed to love it on-screen. I did another gesture on top of the rope before the music faded away and the referee motioned us to the center of the ring.

He stood between us as he gave us clear instructions on proper ring conduct and words to say during a match. He whispered to us that we shouldn't mention anything about me being Diane. For tonight, I was Trish Stratus. We both nodded at him as he called for the bell.

The match was on.

I never thought that I'd live to feel what it was like to be in a WWE ring and have fans cheering for you. It was bliss.

Maria jumped at me immediately to start the brawl. She was surprisingly heavier tonight than what I expected to be so I had some difficulty in breathing as she pounded at me. My legs were free from her weight so I managed to kick up and turn around and cover Maria, reversing the previous position. I pounded at her in return as the crowd started cheering. The referee moved us apart as I stood up and looked at the audience. They cheered once again and started chanting 'Trish' while I waited for Maria to come back to her feet again.

The next moments were a blur. Maria came at me again and tried to do a headlock on me. I countered her into a slam and that somehow became the official start of the match. About 5 minutes later, we we're still slamming each other around, with Maria getting more of the beating. While Maria was lying on the mat, I decided to do something I haven't done for a while.

I wasn't sure what urged me to do so. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush from the crowd or my excitement to finally wrestle again after a long time, but I was soon on the top rope readying myself to jump on Maria. It was one of my favorite moves back in wrestling school, the diving elbow. I rubbed my right elbow before taking a deep breath and jumping. The wind colliding against my face made me giddy. When I dropped on Maria, I heard her groan upon impact. I puller her leg up for a pin but I was unsuccessful.

The crowd was pumping and we both knew we were reaching the end of the match. Maria stalked me as I leaned on one of the corners of the ring, trying to take in the last moments of this opportunity. It was definitely amazing to have known what it felt like to be a WWE Diva even for just one day. I have no plans of becoming one after tonight even though everything went so well for me. One night was enough for me.

Maria did a running clothesline to me as I fell backwards to the mat. It took a few moments before I felt her jump on me from the top rope. It was difficult to remember what was going to happen next especially since I had to close my eyes. I felt her pin me and this was my cue for the ending. As planned, I countered her and pinned her in the process. The referee got down next to us and started counting.

"1, 2..!" He pounded the mat just beside me. I could clearly feel each of his strikes. "3!"

The crowd went into frenzy just like before just in time Lilian Garcia announced the end of the match.

"The winner of the match, Trish Stratus!"

Her reminder of who I was supposed to be hit me like a rocket. Thankfully, I wasn't too carried away with everything that had just happened. I sat up and allowed the referee to hold my hand up as I smiled. This will probably the first and last time that I'd feel this so I wanted to feel every moment. I went around each of the corner ropes and raised my hand up.

"Amazing match, King! Trish certainly looks as fresh as she did 5 years ago. I'm glad to have her around!" Jerry Lawyer commented.

"I agree with you, JR! She looked fine tonight, one of the best divas in the locker room indeed. Poor Maria, though. I'd be happy to make her feel better!" King replied.

I turned to them and blew them a kiss before I slowly walked out of the ring. My ring time was almost over so I decided to just run quick to the ramp and shake as much hands as I could. Trish was always friendly to her fans so I had to make sure these fans would feel the same love Trish usually gives.

Before I went inside the curtain completely, I took one last look at the crowd. All eyes were on me and I felt like it was the best thing in the world. Hiding my forming tears, I ran backstage before anyone could notice.

*

The following day, I woke up restless. Last night was one of the most amazing moments of my life. It'd be something I'd gladly tell John and my children as they grow up.

_Okay Diane, time to really wake up. You're dreaming of impossible things again._

John and I didn't have the chance to talk after my match because Trish immediately pulled me out from backstage and urged the divas to go out and party and celebrate my 'debut' match.

The winter weather didn't stop us from going around town and hit the different bars. For the first time in a long time, I had the chance to hang out with my sister like we used to. Vince McMahon didn't seem to mind us going out before the show ended. In fact, he seemed to approve of it since most of the fans wouldn't see the blonde Trish walking around town with the brunette Trish. That would blow everything up if that happens.

Instead, most of the divas went out to party in the middle of the show, leaving all of the men behind. Randy was bummed because his match was right after mine but when it ended, Vince didn't allowed him to come with us.

"That would be awkward, Randy." He said. "What would people say when he sees all of the divas out with you?"

"They'd think I'd be the hottest superstar in the roster 'cause I have all the girls." Randy replied with a smug look on his face.

"No." Vince's voice was firm. "They'd think you're gay."

That basically made Randy shut up.

So after about 4 hours of partying, we all went back to the hotel happy and exhausted. I forgot most of what I did last night and my head was aching terribly because of hangover. However, as soon as the sun rose the following day, I was forced to get up because Vince McMahon wanted to talk to me. There's nothing one can do once Vince calls you. It's either you come there immediately or you come after a while, either way you're coming and that's that.

His suite was at the very top of the hotel. I wasn't sure exactly why he called me but I figured it would be some kind of congratulations for last night. As soon as I was ready, I came up to the penthouse.

I couldn't find Trish and Maria anywhere so I decided to go alone. For some strange reason, I was feeling nervous. I mean, sure, it's Vince McMahon and I have every right to be nervous with the fact that the boss has called me. But somehow, deep inside of me I felt like this was something else.

Hugging my leather jacket, I stepped out of the elevator and into the beautiful penthouse Mr. McMahon stayed at. Immediately I was surprised to see Maria, Trish and John sitting at the living room as if they were waiting for someone. Trish was sitting beside Maria and adjacent to them sat what looked like a restless John. He was wearing a plain white shirt and some shorts and it seemed like he just rolled out of bed. The way he looked today somehow reminded me of what he looked like after we made love.

I looked down and brushed that thought out of my head.

"Finally." Trish rolled her eyes. "It took you forever to come here."

She was wearing knee high boots over her denim jeans and a gray sweater. As for Maria, she opted for a simple t-shirt and some jeans.

"You guys were called here too?" I asked as I sat down at the sofa.

"Yeah." John replied. He was seated not far from where I was. He and Trish didn't seem to notice each other that much but I figured that it was because we were there. They probably didn't want us to find out they're back together.

I sighed. Just in time, Vince walked inside the living room holding what appear to be photos of some kind. He gave me a warm smile as he dropped them on the coffee table.

My jaws dropped immediately when I saw that they were my pictures from Europe, the ones where I was wearing the lingerie that Maria gave me.

"Oh my God!" I gasped as I tried to cover the photos with my hands. "Mr. McMahon, where did you get this? This isn't me!"

"First, you didn't tell me you wrestled. Now, you deny that you can model?" He was smirking at me. "My dear, I rarely do this to girls, you know. Usually they come to me for help, not deny their chances. Luckily, Maria here showed me these pictures."

Maria looked at me apologetically. "The pictures weren't delivered directly to me. It was sent to the office. Sorry." She explained.

I wasn't sure what to expect or to feel about what was happening. Beads of sweat were forming on my forehead and my stomach was grumbling. I felt like I would throw up any minute now because of nervousness.

"So Diane," Vince cleared his throat and fixed his shirt. Even in the late morning he was wearing a formal dress shirt over casual jeans. He never really fails to intimidate me. "I want to give you an offer."

I swallowed a lump in my throat as I looked at John. He gave me an unknowing look telling me he had no idea what was going on. Somehow I felt like I had a faint idea of what was going to happen.

"I want you to be a WWE Diva." Vince's statement was more like an order rather than an offer. He looked back at me with formality in his eyes and a small grin on his face. "I think it will be great for our show and for the ratings. You can pretend to be Trish for the meantime then once Trish is cleared to be back in the ring, then you can both form a very first diva tag team."

Trish's eyes widened the exact same time mine did. I stared at her for a moment, not knowing what to answer to what Vince said.

"Mr. McMahon," I managed to open my mouth after a while. "I don't think I should. Trish is doing great all by herself. I don't think I should just-"

"Mr. McMahon, didn't we just agree that Diane would just wrestle for a night?" Trish asked, visibly taken aback.

"We'll train you for two months then get you ready in time for Trish to come back. I'll ready your contract by then." He looked directly at me, seeming like he didn't care if we agreed or not. "If you still don't feel like wrestling for television, then you can just not accept the contract. For now, I'll hire you as a developmental wrestler. John here will train you until Trish is cleared and the contract is ready."

It wasn't like there was anything else I could do. I just froze in my seat as Vince went on about his plans for me. John being my trainer was probably one of the worst ideas he had. I couldn't argue with him though because if I did Trish would be even more suspicious. I looked at John again and saw that he was unsure about it as well. Somehow the look on his face made me feel even more confused. It was as if he didn't want to do it.

"It's Christmas Vacation soon so I wont pressure you both to start training immediately. We can start as soon as we come back next year." Vince turned to John. "John, my boy, you're one of the best guys I have in the roster. I expect you to help Diane greatly. I know you both are comfortable with each other and that's why I chose you to train her."

John nodded. "Sure Vince. I'll do my best."

"Okay, then. I've said what I have to say. I still have a lunch meeting with some of the investors. I'll see you kids around." He smiled at me. "Thank you, Diane. Starting next year we're hiring another make-up artist to do the divas while you train."

I still couldn't utter a single word as Vince left us and went inside his bedroom. There was no way that I would be a WWE Diva, it was just a dream for me. Now that it's becoming reality, I don't think I could take it.

Glancing at Trish, I saw that she had a bad look on her face. She stood up, gently holding her right hand that was still covered in plasters.

"Trish!" I called after her as she approached the elevator.

She stopped and turned around. "What?"

"I won't take the offer." I told her.

"Why?" She raised her eyebrow at me.

"Because of the same reasons why I didn't pursue wrestling. Trish, this is your thing. I'd gladly walk away from it." I explained.

"Oh please." She let out a laugh. "Vince offered you. He rarely does that to people, you know. Before I could get a contract I had to train for about a year, Diane. Go ahead and take it."

"But-"

"But what?" She gave me a small smile. "Push through with it. You've waited for this for a long time."

"But what about your retirement?" I asked her. Trish was so sure she was going to retire after she comes back for her last match once she's cleared. If she decides to really leave, I wouldn't want to be just a stand-in for her.

"Who said anything about retiring?" She seemed like she already made up her mind. "I wouldn't mind staying for a few more months. I could hire someone to instruct yoga for the meantime. I'm in no hurry."

There was nothing else I could say to that. I wasn't sure if what Vince said today had anything to do with Trish not wanting to retire anymore. Just recently, she spoke about her retirement like nothing could ever come against it. This seemed confusing.

She turned around and walked to the elevator before I could speak again. As she did so, I heard her murmur a few words. Just a faint, faint murmur:

"If only I wasn't injured.."


	18. Chapter 17

I told you guys I was excited for this chapter. HAHA. I posted it as soon as I could. Once again, I thank all of you for reading and I'd really appreciate it if you would leave a review. The chapters from now on would be intense so I'd love it if you guys would share what you think about it. Btw, I'm thinking of doing a Evan Bourne story or a Ted DeBiase one and I'm looking for additional characters. Just message me if you want to be in it just as long as you don't partner yourself with John, Randy, Evan or Ted. :) THANK YOU AGAIN FOR READING! -Diane

**Chapter 17**

"I love you!" Becky cried as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a pretty light pink dress that accentuated her figure, her hair was in soft curls and I had just finished making her up. She looked fresh and young, the way she asked me to make her look like.

I beamed at her as she looked at me through the mirror. I was just standing behind her, making sure that my creation was beautiful once it was seen in a distance. True enough, Becky looked like she was going to have a great time. She radiated the glow of an excited girl which basically made my makeup pop out of her face.

She carefully caressed her upper eyelid as she leaned in closer to her dresser mirror. "I can't believe how good you are. I wish you'd just live near us so you can teach me these things."

I laughed. "When we come back here again, I promise I'll teach you."

She looked at me through the mirror again and smiled. "Really? You would do that?"

"Sure. I'll teach you all the basics." I replied.

"Thank you! No wonder Randy loves you!" She turned around and hugged me. Becky reminded me so much of Maria. They're both in their twenties but they act like they're 16. Maybe that's why I love being around them. They let me act on my own without too much opinions.

She squeezed me until I could no longer breath regularly. Apparently, even though Becky's not into wrestling, her capacity to choke is in her genes. Pulling away, she gave me the biggest possible smile she could give.

"I'll just go to the bathroom real quick then we can all go. Thanks Diane." She gave me one last smile before she headed to the door of the bathroom.

"No problem." I mumbled after her as she left me to stare at my own reflection. This morning, I had difficulty in trying to wake up again. I guess I have to cope with that fact until I get older. However, when Trish reminded me that today was Samantha's wedding, I had to prepare myself as quick as I could. I decided to wear my favorite black strapless dress and left my hair down because I had no time to fix it. Trish promised me before that she'd take care of my hair but when I was out of the shower, she was nowhere to be found. I guess something came up.

Since Vince's offer a few days ago, Trish started to get weird on me. I tried to talk to her personally and tell her that I had no plans of becoming a full-time wrestler, but she persuaded me otherwise. After that though she started to not talk to me as much. What did she want me to do? Sometimes I just really don't understand her.

Thankfully, Christmas was just around the corner so we'd have more time with our family. Maybe then we'd get to talk about whatever we're feeling. Honestly, I would give up the offer in a heartbeat if she asked me to. Even dad understood me and said that he'd support me in whatever I wanted to do. Mom, on the other hand, was psyched when she found out about my contract offer. She urged me to take the offer as well. So basically now I'm stuck in the middle. I just hope that one day Vince would change his mind about everything so I wouldn't need to explain to anyone.

I leaned closer to the mirror and checked my makeup. My eyebrows were neatly cleaned so it framed my over-all look. Thankfully I looked decent despite my unprepared hair. My heels were making my feet hurt but it was okay. I figured we'd probably spend most of the time sitting down at the wedding anyway.

Becky came back inside the room and pulled the blinds of her curtains, revealing the lighter pink shades of her walls. Outside the snow was slowly falling but inside it was warm. Her room was cute and girly and it fits her personality perfectly. Each item was neatly placed in the correct order. Thankfully she'll never get to see what MY room looks like.

She turned around to face me then gave me a knowing look.

"Before we go, do you mind if I fix your hair?"

I didn't take that as criticism since I knew my hair looked like crap today. I smiled at her as she asked me to face the mirror again. This time around, she was the one behind me. She took all of my hair in a handful then twisted it into a bun. My shoulders and neck were even more visible now and honestly, I liked it.

"Now they would see your face." Becky told me as she held my shoulders. We both stared at our own reflections in the mirror and in unison, smiled. "Are you nervous?"

"Nervous? Why should I be?" My eyebrows rose in question. Honestly, I think Randy would be the one nervous right now.

"Well," She continued to stare at my reflection. "You're going to meet the 'ex'. The competition, as they say."

"I wouldn't think of a bride as competition." I laughed. "Besides, Randy and I are-"

"Are you girls ready yet?" Elaine knocked on Becky's door a few times. "Be quick or else Randy might change his mind about this!"

"We're coming, Mom!" Becky shouted back at her as we gathered our things. I took my white coat and black purse from the bed as we both rushed out of the room.

Randy's family house is beautiful. It's a big ancestral house that was obviously built by a loving father for his family. The interior of the house was exquisite and it was apparent through the furniture that Elaine had made it a point to be elegant. The place was perfect.

We rushed down the stairs and into the living room where Randy, his mom and dad were waiting. Randy stood up just in time we we're going down. Our eyes met and I held my breath when I saw him completely. He looked exactly like the first time I met him, the mysterious, model-like Randy that intimidated me yet at the same time, intrigued me. He was wearing a crisp black suit with a white polo inside that was left unbuttoned at the top, showing a small portion of his chest. His hair was neatly styled and his face cleanly groomed. He definitely prepared for this day.

"Hey." He smiled at me. "Thanks for this, Diane."

"C'mon, no need to thank me." He took my coat from my hands and slipped it on me as I turned around.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

The room erupted with laughter as Elaine and Bob bid us goodbye and for Randy, goodluck. Soon, the three of us were in Randy's Hummer on our way to the wedding.

*

Samantha and Jason's wedding was held at a beautiful plaza in the heart of St. Louis. The place was posh and extravagant that I couldn't help but daydream of how my own wedding would look like. Add the fact that it's a few weeks before Christmas so the place was adorably decorated with white ribbons and Christmas designs.

Becky left us immediately upon our arrival since she was meeting up one of her friends. I later found out that she was sort of having a 'thing' with one of Samantha's cousins. Randy didn't seem to mind that we we're left alone. He knew a lot of the guests and it seemed like everyone was surprised to see him, much less with a new girl. Randy introduced me to everyone as his date since we already talked about the set-up long before this day. For the knowledge of everyone at the wedding, Randy and I were dating.

There was probably around a hundred guests present ranging from the couples' family to common friends and some relatives. They were all dressed formally in their suits and dresses. Whenever they would see Randy and me together, they would often shoot us confused looks. However some we're really friendly with us, especially Randy and Samantha's common friends. We we're even greeted by Samantha's parents a few minutes before the wedding started.

"Randy!" Samantha's mother Karen hugged Randy immediately when she saw him. They held each other for a while before she pulled away and smiled. "My boy, how big you've grown!"

"You just saw me a few months ago, Karen." Randy chuckled. "Looking good, by the way."

"Thank you. You look as handsome as always." She turned to me and gave me a small smile. "Hi there. You're one of the wrestlers, right? The one named Trish?"

I was about to answer when Randy interrupted and answered for me. "Karen, I'd like you to meet Diane, she's Trish's twin sister."

"Oh my!" She seemed embarrassed. "Sorry, dear. I had no idea Trish had a twin sister."

"No problem Mrs. Speno." I gave a small smile in return. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise." She replied with her tiny voice. "It'll start really soon so you both better get in your seats."

We both nodded at her as we made our way inside the chapel. Even the inside of the chapel was decorated with white flowers and ribbons. The priest stood at the altar and smiled at the guests as many of them made their way to their seats. We were one of the last to arrive so we were seated at the lower back, just beside the aisle. I took the chair that was right at the edge so Randy wouldn't decide to take off once the wedding starts.

So far Randy seems to be okay with us being here. Jason stood by the altar, looking like how a nervous groom would. He spotted Randy in our seats and they waved at each other. When Jason was no longer looking, Randy leaned in closer to me.

"He used to be my best friend." He whispered.

"Really?" I was shocked.

He nodded. "Despite what happened to the three of us. I'm happy that she at least got a good guy for her."

The choir started playing the hymn and made us all look at the entrance of the chapel automatically. The moment Samantha walked out to the aisle, I felt Randy stiffen up beside me. She looked gorgeous in her strapless bridal dress with heir veil covering half of her face. She glanced at us and smiled at Randy as she continued walking. I heard Randy sigh beside me once Jason and Samantha were both standing at the altar.

I looked at him and he gave me a small unconvincing smile. I didn't know what else to do to make him feel better so I took his hand instead and squeezed them. He squeezed mine back in response.

The wedding lasted not longer than an hour. The highlight of the event was Samantha and Jason's vows, which consisted of few lines from their favorite songs mixed together. Halfway through it, I felt like Randy wasn't feeling uncomfortable anymore. He even smiled at the sight of the newly married couple kissing. If today helped in someway for Randy to move on, then I'm happy to be here and support him. I think friends should always be for one another in times like these.

The reception was to be held in the grand hall of the same plaza so immediately after the wedding all the guests went there. Everyone was definitely hungry, even I felt like I was going to faint in hunger.

Randy was still holding my hand as we got to the reception area. I didn't notice it until I saw Becky giving us a look from across the room. She winked at me and pointed at my hand while she stood next to a boy who I figured to be her boyfriend. Randy didn't seem to mind and we continued to walk to our table.

"What do you want?" He asked as he motioned me to sit down. I looked up at him and shrugged.

"Whatever you're having. I eat anything." I smiled.

He chuckled. "Okay, I'll be right back."

He walked away so swiftly that I just stared at his every movement as he strolled to the buffet tables. If Randy was hurting in any way today, he sure didn't show it. I looked at the people seated around me and saw that they were all couples. Somehow I felt taken aback that I was the only single person sitting there.

"Hey there." One brown haired guy greeted me with a smile. Him and his girlfriend we're sitting next to each other as they ate. Somehow the way he looked reminded me of one of Samantha's features. I figured he must be a cousin or brother of hers.

"Hello." I greeted back with the same energy he gave me.

"I know you get this all of the time, but I'm a really huge fan of yours." He beamed at me. "Ever since you started out with T&A. Man, I saw your cover in WWE Magazine recently and I must say that you have the best assets in the whole WWE. Such HUGE assets." He said his words like he ate them.

Her girlfriend gave him a bad look but he just continued to stare at me.

Oh dear. Here we go again.

I rubbed my temples a bit and gave him the best, most presentable smile I could muster.

"Hey there Jack." Randy was beside me in a moment and surprised us. "I'd hate to break your bubble but this isn't Trish. She's Diane, Trish's twin and my date tonight. Stop being your usual self."

"Randy!" Jack responded with a nervous smile. "Still your usual angry self, I see."

"Nothing to be angry about, I'm actually feeling good right now." He sat beside me after he gave me a plat of pasta and vegetables. He gave Jack a big smile. "I see you and Chloe are going strong."

"Yes, just celebrated our first wedding anniversary recently. How about you? Don't you just wish you were married? " He replied. His voice was like that of a teenage boy that I forced myself not to laugh over it. If he were trying to compete with Randy in some way, Randy would win simply with just the sound of his deep, husky voice.

"No." He let out a small, kid-like giggle. "Why would I want to get married? I'm too young for that."

I started eating quietly as Randy and Jack started talking more about what they've done recently. Randy didn't want to elaborate much on his career even though Jack seemed to ask him every detail of it.

"So, are you guys dating?" He asked.

For a moment, I just kept quiet and ate what's left of my pasta. I didn't know how hungry I was until I saw the food personally. It only took me a few minutes to eat half of my plate.

"Are you?" He repeated.

I looked up and saw that he was looking at me. Randy was also staring at me like he was wondering what I was thinking.

"Oh, sorry." I mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Randy whispered to me as me moved closer.

"Yeah, I was just really hungry." I nodded then turned to Jack. "Randy and I are two people who are having fun with each other. If you consider that as dating, then yes, we are dating." There was nothing else I could think of to shut him up.

Thankfully, that did the trick. He gave us a thumbs up and finally resumed his attention to his girlfriend.

"Sorry about that. He's a jackass." Randy told me discreetly.

"No problem." I murmured in return just as the speeches were starting. We listened as the best man made a speech about how Samantha and Jason were going to make it through forever because they were soulmates. All the while that he was talking Randy was holding my hand for some sort of support. I allowed him to because I knew how hard it was for him to be here and see the person you loved with someone else.

When it was Samantha's turn to talk, Randy's grip on my hand got tighter. I looked at him and saw that he was smiling despite his apparent nervousness.

"First of all, I want to thank all of you for being here tonight." Samantha started of her speech with a small. Her voice was small but gentle to the ears. "Thank you Jason for giving me the best love and for making me the happiest girl in the world. I never thought I'd find someone as beautiful and magical as you. You showed me what it's like to be loved unconditionally. Today and forever, I will love you."

The crowd started to chime their glasses as Samantha and Jason shared a kiss. She turned once again to the guests and continued talking.

"Thank you everyone for being here and sharing this day with us." Suddenly she turned towards us and smiled. "Randy, thank you for being here and for everything. You were the first one to teach me how to love. Thank you and I wish you the best in everything."

What she said broke me much more than she did Randy. Not because she was harsh but because she was brave enough to say that. I envied her for being able to forget the past and move on. Hopefully one day I'd learn how to do that too.

My phone beeped and I took it out off my purse. I was surprised to see John's name flashing on the screen with a message.

_Heard that you thought Trish and I really got back together. I think we should talk soon like planned. We can't let it stay this way._

Oh my God. How? When? Why?

These questions popped inside my head almost automatically. How could John have found out about that? I haven't even told anyone about that except Maria. Oh Maria, you couldn't have possibly told him, right? Suddenly I remembered the night before my match. I did mention to him something about that but I didn't realize how much that affected him.

I was too lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice that Samantha's speech was over. The music was starting to play again and couples were starting to flock the dance floor. Randy pulled me up, urging me to dance.

"C'mon." He said. "Let's make the most out of this night."

I had no other choice so I allowed him to pull me to the dance floor despite my thoughts drifting elsewhere. There was something inside of me telling me that John and Trish weren't back together but I still doubt if I'll allow that part to get the best of me. Should I believe something just because I feel that it's true? I mean, what could John possibly want to tell me? I just don't understand it.

Randy pulled me closer to him as we slow danced. I was stopping myself from crying over frustration so I dug my face to his chest. The smell of his perfume was so good and it made me giddy. We started moving side to side and I tried my best to catch up. Randy and I just held each other for a while like we didn't want to let go. For me, I didn't want to move away because if I do I might just break down in front of everyone.

"Thank you." He murmured as we slowly moved with the sound of music.

"No problem." I whispered back to him and meant it.

"Maybe we should go. I don't want to exhaust you too much." He pulled away and looked down at me. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." I pulled on my poker face. "If you're feeling tired, then it's okay."

"I think you're the one who's tired." He seemed unconvinced. "Let's go find Sam and get the hell out of here."

He took my hand again and pulled me towards the direction of the bride and groom's table where the newlyweds were seated.

"Randy!" Samantha greeted him with intense delight as we approached. They gave each other a small hug as Randy congratulated her and Jason.

"Thanks for the invite." Randy pulled me closer to him, his hand resting on my lower back. "This is Diane, my date."

Samantha looked at me with awe. "You're so beautiful Diane, Thank you for coming."

I shook my head. "It should be you I'm thanking. Thanks for having me here and congratulations. It was such a beautiful wedding, I wish you both the best."

"Thank you both." Jason smiled then turned to Randy. "Rand, thanks for understanding, man."

Randy nodded and looked down as if thinking. After a few moments he looked back at the couple and smiled. "You both deserve each other and I mean that in a good way." He chuckled. "Take care of each other. I love you both."

I smiled at how brave Randy was today. He was a real man who knew when to accept and understand. I watched as they hugged each other again before we finally bid goodbye.

*

The trip back to the hotel was emotionally exhausting. Becky didn't want to ride with us since she was going home with her boyfriend so Randy and I rode alone. The ride was quiet for reasons that seemed unconnected. I'm sure Randy was thinking about everything that had happened today while I, on the other hand, is thinking about what I should do and what John might really want to say to me.

I'm so scared to tell John I love him even though I can't control my emotions anymore. My relationship with Trish is turning sour for some reason that I am not sure of, what more if she really finds out about everything? I can't afford to lose her now. And I don't think I can afford to lose her ever.

Randy accompanied me back to my hotel room like how people usually end their dates. When I brushed the John issue off of my mind, I did realize how much fun I had today despite the pretentions.

"Thanks for bringing me." I told Randy as we walked at the hotel corridor towards my door. "I really appreciate it."

"Are you kidding?" He laughed. "I should be the one telling you that. If it weren't for you I would've kicked Jason's ass the moment I saw him."

We stopped in front of my door and I looked up at him in confusion. "You didn't look like you were angry."

"I really wasn't angry." He seemed sarcastic. "I just could've kicked his ass that exact moment he waved at me. Then I realized that I couldn't act that way especially with you around."

"Why's that?" I laughed.

He didn't answer me and instead he just stared directly into my eyes. I stared back into his and felt mesmerized by the intensity of it. Suddenly without warning, I felt Randy's lips on mine.

His kiss has the same intensity his eyes had and I felt myself kissing back. Suddenly I pulled away from him, looking at him in question.

"I love you." He blurted out before I could even speak.

I stared back at him not knowing what to do and what to say exactly. I was too stunned to think of something to reply. My legs were stiff and unmovable and my heart was beating so quickly because of nervousness. How could Randy tell me that?

"Wha-what?" I stuttered.

His face was unreadable but his eyes showed that he was confused. I felt the exact same thing.

"What about your girl?" I asked immediately. I wouldn't want to be the person in the middle once again.

"What girl?" He asked like he had no idea what I just said.

"The girl you like here in Missouri!" I almost shouted. "What about her?"

He let out a small, nervous laugh. "There is no girl, Diane. I made her up. All the while I was referring to you."

"What?" It seemed like that was all I could blurt out. Everything that Randy's telling me right now isn't registering inside my brain. His words keep on repeating in my head and I was dazed. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I love you!" He cried in frustration. He held me in my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. " I love you, Diane. You're the only reason I'm excited to go to work everyday. You're the only girl I ever allowed to see the real me. I tried to conceal this but I couldn't hold it in any longer. I've fallen in love with you, Diane and I can't believe you never noticed that."

His words we're slowly entering my mind like broken messages. All the while I was staring at him like he doesn't really mean everything he's saying.

"The way you treat my family. The way you said you'd sacrifice for the people you love, the way you made me feel today. How you stood up for me and supported me. You're the only girl who did that for me. You deserve someone who loves you because you deserve to be happy. Stop caring too much about other people." He was smiling now. "I can see it, Diane. You can't deny that you feel the same way for me."

I was at lost for words. My mouth opened and closed almost like someone other than myself controlled it. My brain seemed to not function at the moment as I just stood there trying to regulate my breath.

"Randy.." I said as slow as I could. "I don't understand."

"You said any girl would be stupid not to like me." He repeated those familiar words to me and immediately I realized how misleading it was.

"Randy, I'm sorry." I looked at him sincerely. He seemed like he was as confused with me like I was with him.

He leaned in again to kiss me but I pulled away. For some reason, when I stared into Randy's eyes, John's face flashed into my mind.

"I cant." The words were blurted out unexpectedly.

Randy walked backwards and I saw in his face that he was hurting.

"Is there someone else?" His words were like bullets hitting me.

I couldn't answer because I didn't know what I would answer to him. I just stood there looking at the ground, trying to think of words to make it all better.

"It's John, isn't it?" His question made the hair in the back of my head stand up. I shot a look at him and saw that he was convinced with his own statement.

"I see how you look at each other," He said, almost disgusted. "I just wouldn't believe it because you two are brother and sister. But now.."

"He's not my brother." I came into my defense as quick as I could.

He just stared at me like he really couldn't believe what I said. He slowly backed away from me, trying to cover the hurt in his eyes.

My tears were forming as I tried to explain myself. "Randy, you don't understand. It's hard to explain, I-"

"No, no." He stopped me from saying any more. "Just forget what I said. Forget this ever happened."

He rushed out and left me alone in the corridor feeling like I just made a big mistake.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse.


	19. Chapter 18

FIRST OF ALL. I'm so sorry for not posting anything FOR A MONTH. I got super busy. Let's just say I'm in a kind of John-Diane kind of situation right now, so please don't get mad at me. Second, This chapter was quite difficult to write because it involves disappointments and a LOT of kisses. I just hope YOU don't feel disappointed with it. I'll post more soon! Thank you! I won't leave this fic, I promise! :) thanks! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! Kiss! -D

**Chapter 18**

For almost two weeks I've been thinking of nothing but what Randy told me. Eversince that incident, he started to not speak to me like he did before. We came back to the 'hi-hello' period when we would not speak to each other unless one would start talking, same to what happened to John and me before. Our schedules made it difficult for us to see each other too, which is probably a good thing for me. After everything he said, I don't think I'd know how to act around him. Confused would probably be the best word to describe what I'm feeling right now.

The same goes for John. Despite our decision to talk to each other, we never seem to have the opportunity to do so. WWE has been promoting and doing shows non-stop because Christmas was coming up and everyone would be out for 2 weeks vacation. Quite frankly, I can't wait to just get everything over with and to see my family again. It's been months since I last saw them and I miss them all so much, especially my dad. He'd be the one to assure me everything would be okay. He was my security blanket and I love him for that.

The days seem to pass so quickly since we we're so busy. We've been flying from state to state, going to show-to-show, meeting so many people and we were all very much exhausted. As a treat for all the wrestlers and some staff of the company, WWE has an annual Christmas Party, which marks the official start of vacation. I've always looked forward to this party because it was the only time we were completely allowed to get drunk since we wouldn't have shows after.

Somehow, this year was different. John and I agreed to talk after the party so despite the having no rules to follow, I still wouldn't allow myself to get drunk. If that happens, I might just blurt out words to him that I don't actually mean to say, things that I've been hiding for a long time. There's a big chance that once I get drunk, I'll tell him that I'm in love with him and ask him to marry me, or something like that.

Plus add the fact that Randy is still mad at me. If I get drunk there's a big possibility that I'm going to come up to him and act like nothing ever happened which would probably get me humiliated.

Honestly, I don't know what to do with my life right now. I just want to go away and leave, just like I always do. I want to forget everything and just live alone. Besides, I think that's what's going to happen to me in the future anyway, I'm going to die alone because of all the bad things I've been doing with my life.

When I was young, I never thought that I would grow up to be this cheating, lying person that I was now. I hate myself for being this way but there was nothing I could do. I'd like to think that I am a victim of circumstance as well. There were some things I couldn't control. There are some things that I do without thinking because I just follow my heart. That's why I've restricted myself now. Mind over matter, as they would say. I never want to make the same mistakes because I don't want Trish to look down at me in pity again for always being second best.

Basically I'd describe my life as one stressful blur. My sister is mad at me for some unknown reason and is trying to avoid me. The man I love is about to tell me that he doesn't feel the same for me and the man who loves me is mad at me for not loving him back. I can't accept a life-changing offer because of the promise I made to myself long before this ever happened and I'm lying to myself by thinking everything would turn out all right.

There's no such thing as a happy ending and somehow I should start convincing myself that.

The only thing that keeps me going everyday is the thought of seeing my family and being with them. Despite my mother's obvious favoritism towards Trish, she still understands me and I still love her beyond a doubt.

Tonight's Christmas party was to be held inside a hotel's party hall here in New York. This was our last stop with the tour and tomorrow we'll all be going our separate ways, back to our respective hometowns, away from all this pressure.

I slipped on my black halter dress and heels before throwing over my favorite white coat. Even if I was extremely tired, I still felt a little surge of energy inside of me, most probably caused by the anticipation of seeing and being with John. I took my time since the party was just downstairs, there was no chance I'd be too late. Besides, when it came to parties, WWE had no time limit.

Trish came out of the bathroom just as I was finishing strapping my heels. I continued to sit on the bed as I watch her pass by me. She was wearing a complete travel outfit as if she wasn't going to the party at all. The lights inside the room we're dim so I didn't see what her face looked like.

"I'm skipping the party. I have to meet up with the contractors and everyone before the holiday really starts." She explained to me before I could even ask.

She started to pull out her luggage that was under her bed. I had no idea she was already packed up for the flight. Originally, ours would be tomorrow morning but apparently, Trish couldn't wait any longer.

She aligned her stuff before she checked her purse, making sure that she had her passport and everything important with her. At the last moment, she looked at me and smiled. Her face seemed different to me, or atleast different with what I normal see in my own reflection. I wasn't sure whether it was Trish or me who seemed more different.

"I'll see you back home." She told me.

I was waiting for her to approach me and hug me goodbye but instead she just took her things from the desk and took a final look at herself in the mirror. There was nothing else I could do but nod at her as she walked out of the room, pulling her luggage as she did so. She didn't even bid me goodbye.

"Take care!" I called after her as she closed the hotel room door. I felt bad that even at the last moment, we still had the awkwardness between us. Hopefully when we're together as a family, we would stop being this way.

After I strapped my black heels on, I heard someone knocking on the door. My heart skipped a beat with the thought of John of possibly being there. My bubble burst when I saw Maria and Phil standing outside.

"Hello there! Are you ready to party?" Maria greeted me. She was wearing a leather vest over some jeans, boots and some biker gloves. A party hat was on top of her head, like she had just come from a children's birthday party. Each of them was holding party horns in their hands as they smiled in anticipation.

They both blew their horns as I closed my door and laughed. Phil was wearing almost the same vest as Maria's and he had the same party hat too. They looked so cute together and somehow I felt like the odd one out when the three of us we're walking towards the elevator. Something inside of me was missing and I felt a longing for it. Maybe it was the fact that Trish wasn't around. Every year since we first started, we made it a point that we'd never miss a WWE Christmas Party. Apparently, she seemed to have forgotten about that promise.

We reached the hall a few moments after. As soon as we arrived, I could smell the alcohol in the air. The place was dim and crowded with the wrestlers and crew alike lingering about although most of them we're seated on their tables and mingling. Every side of the room had Christmas lights and ornaments. Even at the very entrance were elves that gave us Santa hats as we came inside. At the center of the hall was a big Christmas tree and next to it stood Vince McMahon who was wearing his usual crisp suit, only this time he had a Santa hat on too. He was saying something about the coming vacation and how each of us should be thankful for our families.

Phil grabbed 2 glasses of champagne from a waiter and handed them to Maria and me. He led us to one of the tables near the bar where some of the wrestlers were. Candice, Kelly Kelly and some other divas were already seated there. I caught my breath when I also saw Randy there sitting with Dave Bautista, one of the wrestlers of the company. As Maria and Phil sat down, they unknowingly left the chair next to Randy's, empty. I had no other choice but to sit there, so I did.

"Hey Diane!" Dave greeted me. He was this big, middle-aged man whose looks could definitely snag any woman he wanted. He looked cute as he wore a Santa suit, complete with the wide belt and gloves. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Santa!" I greeted him, acting like I was oblivious to the fact that Randy was staring at me already. I glanced at him and gave him a small smile. "Merry Christmas, Randy."

He gave me what seemed to be a grunt. As I sat comfortably on my chair, I started to smell the alcohol coming from Randy's direction. It was obvious that he already drank a lot so the fact that I was just beside him wasn't the best thing.

I started to move a little bit closer to Maria but she and Phil we're too busy chatting that they didn't notice me.

"Where's Trish?" Candice asked me from across the table. She looked a bit red too, so I figured she had been drinking for a while. Why did it seem like everyone couldn't stop themselves from drinking?

"She flew back to Canada already." I almost shouted. "It seemed like she wasn't in the mood to party."

"Oh!" Candice gave me a knowing grin. "She's not in the mood most of the time anyway!"

Before I knew it, Candice was blabbing about her mood swings too and how she often shouted at her husband on the phone. Her stories were amusing and I found myself laughing so much. The drinks came almost automatically one after the other. Soon I was feeling a bit dizzy myself.

I felt the need to pee so I stood up as fast as I could. When I did, I fell back because of my heels and I ended up almost sitting in Randy's lap.

"Oh God, I'm sorry." I mumbled as I tried to stand up.

Randy placed his hands on my hips as he helped me up. I didn't want to look at him since I was embarrassed. I turned around as quick as I could only to be stopped by Maria. She stood in front of me with a worried expression on her face as she took me by the shoulders.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

I nodded. "Just got clumsy with my heels. I'm going to the restroom."

"I'm coming with you." She told me as she grabbed my arm and clasped it with hers. We started walking towards the nearest exit when I felt someone tap my back.

I turned around and saw Shane McMahon smiling at me. He is Vince's only son and Vice President of the company. I rarely see him so having him stand in front of me was surprising. It was only after a few moments when I realized that he was raising something on top of my head.

Looking up, I saw that it was mistletoe. Thinking that I was about to kiss him, I had no other choice but to give him a small smile.

"Hello there, Diane! You got caught under the mistletoe! Now you have to kiss someone!"

"No problem, Shane." I shrugged. "I just hope your wife wont mind."

"Oh no, you're not going to kiss me." He winked. I watched as he tapped the back of the man nearest to him. I almost choked when I the man turned around.

John looked gorgeous in his white polo shirt and denim jeans. His hair was neatly cut and his face shaved clean. He looked at me and for a moment my heart skipped a beat like always. For a moment, he looked like he was happy to see me.

"Okay, now we have a pair!" Shane declared as he motioned John to come closer.

We just continued to stare at each other as he approached. My throat was dry in nervousness and I felt Maria's grip on me tighten.

"Diane, are you sure you want to do this?" Maria whispered.

Alcohol had the control over me so I just whispered a "yes" back at her as she removed her grip on me.

"Okay, let's go!" Shane urged us.

John just looked at me and I stood there not knowing what to do. Without warning, he leaned and took my face with his hands. I closed my eyes and felt his lips on mine. We we're kissing like we meant it and I felt my knees weaken. I could feel his hand on my back as he pushed me forward. Each second seemed like an eternity to me. It took me a while before I heard Shane cheering.

"That's the best mistletoe kiss I've ever seen! Don't forget to lock your rooms tonight, you two!" His voice now seemed to be distant.

We separated and I realized that everyone was looking at us. I felt guilty because the people might think that I was acting this way because Trish wasn't around.

"We need to talk." John said as he kept me near him.

"I just have to go to the restroom. I'll come back." I sighed.

"Okay, I'll be waiting." With that, he let me go. I could still feel my heart racing when Maria and I reached the exit. We were in the lobby when I realized that I felt like I needed to change my shoes since my feet felt dead.

"I'll just go to the room first." I told her. "Can you tell John that I'll just meet up with him in the rooftop, say around 5 minutes?"

She nodded and gave me a small smile. "I'm glad you guys can finally talk. Drink some water first, I don't want you repeating what you just did, acting like a drunkard."

"Sorry." I felt guiltier. She gave me a small hug as we separated. Maria headed back to the party and I made my way to the elevator and back to my hotel room, which was located on the fifth floor. I could hardly walk by the time I got there. I can't believe I actually bought something like this for myself.

I opened my door and dove immediately to the bed, pushing my face to the pillows and feeling the warmth of it. I can't believe I just kissed John. The passion of the kiss was apparent and I couldn't push the feeling away from me. I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest any moment. I felt so scared yet so happy.

"So, you're meeting up John here huh?"

I quickly jumped up and saw Randy standing by the doorway, grinning at me. He had his suit off, leaving his white shirt on. His face looked red because of alcohol. He was holding his suit on his other hand as he stared at me. Meanwhile, I fixed my position and covered my legs with my hands as I sat properly on the bed.

"Why didn't you knock?" I asked him, visibly taken aback. Talking to Randy while he was drunk seems to be a bad idea.

"Door was open." He said matter-of-factly. I scolded myself deep inside for my clumsiness.

There was nothing else I could say so I just looked down at my feet, hoping he would just leave. Instead, he just did the exact same thing that I was doing. The silence was deafening.

"I saw you kiss each other."

The statement made me stare back at him in shock.

Randy looked like he was about to cry at any moment, but he held it in. He clenched his fists as he continued. "And even though I try to deny it, you guys look so good together. But Diane, why him?"

His eyes were piercing as he approached and pulled me up. He threw his suit on the floor and took me by the shoulders, tightening his grip as he started grinding his teeth. My knees started to shake in nervousness.

"He's not the one for you." He persuaded. "He'll only end up hurting you again, Diane. I will never do that to you, why won't you understand that?"

"You're hurting me now!" I tried to pull away from his grasp but he was much stronger than I am. I could smell the alcohol in his breath.

Suddenly, he pulled me closer to him and started kissing me torridly. I wanted to scream but I couldn't. His kisses were hard and I felt weak compared to him. He kept his grip tight on my arm as he pushed me down to the bed. Everything felt like a blur to me. I felt Randy kiss me even more but I couldn't fight. I tried to fight against him but obviously the odds were far greater. When I managed to pull away from him a bit, I shouted.

"Stop it!" I yelled. But he just kept on going like I didn't say anything.

"Diane, I love you." He whispered. He tried to unzip the back of my dress and at that exact same time I froze. This person isn't Randy because Randy would never do this to me. All the while I believed in his innocence. I can't believe that alcohol would give this much effect on him.

He continued to kiss my face and neck like a foul animal would. All my efforts of pushing him away seemed to be of no use. He kept on going despite my obvious resentment.

"I love you." He repeated as he kissed my mouth again. I tried to scream but no one seemed to hear me. At one point, I was able to move my face away from his.

"I don't love you, Randy!" I was crying now. It seemed to be the only thing I could do. He suddenly stopped and looked at me. His eyes became different the moment he saw mine. It was like it became gentler again.

Surprisingly, Randy released me and stood up. He looked like he was also surprised with what he just did. He stared at me as I held my dress on myself, the tears continually swelling from my eyes. I was shaking uncontrollably as I sobbed. I turned away from him in some form of self-protection.

"I'm sorry. " I heard Randy's voice choke. "I-I.. I shouldn't have..Diane, I'm so sorry.."

"Please leave." I sobbed as I curled myself on the bed.

It took about a few moments before I heard Randy's footsteps as he walked away, closing the door after him. My tears were uncontrollable. I couldn't believe that Randy would ever do something like that to me. Now I finally found out that it was indeed true, everything the people were saying against Randy was true. Randy does indeed have the tendency to hurt people.

My body wasn't the only thing that was hurting, but emotionally what just happened stabbed me in the heart. He was my friend and before this, we were happy. I wasn't sure if I was going to blame him or myself for what had just happened.

I heard footsteps again and I sat up as quickly as I could. I fixed my dress and covered myself in blankets, feeling terrified.

"I said leave!" I shouted, trying to sound braver.

"What happened?" John appeared by the door, looking worried when he saw me. My heart melted and I rushed to him, sobbing uncontrollably as he held me.

"Diane, what happened?" He repeated as he hugged me tighter.

"Don't go, please." I whispered. "Don't."

*

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!" John shouted and stood up from his seat. He looked furious and determined at the same time.

"Wait, John." I stopped him. "Don't start anything, please."

We we're sitting on the bed just after I had narrated everything that had happened to Randy and me. I watched as his expression turned sour after every statement I make.

"How can I not start anything after what he tried to do to you?" John shouted like he was mad at me, not Randy.

I tried to calm him down by taking his hand and holding it tightly. Even if I was terrified and traumatized by what had just happened, in the back of my mind I was still in denial. The Randy I knew would've never done something like this. Deep inside of me, I knew that what he felt for me wasn't the only reason behind this.

"John, Randy was drunk. He didn't know what he was doing."

"He tried to rape you, Diane." John stared at me. He looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How can you just let that pass? Damn it! What he did to you was sexual harassment!"

"But, he stopped-"

"What if he didn't!" John yelled as he pulled his hand away from mine. "Do you think I'd just let you forget this whole thing? Do you think I'll just do nothing? We have to report this."

"John please!" I pleaded. John stared at me in disbelief as I tried to make him listen to me. "Randy has a problem, I'm sure of it. Besides, what happened was partly my fault."

"Of Course he has a problem! Why would he even do that if his mind is right?" He declared sarcastically.

"John." I interrupted him, trying to stop his anger.

"What?" He seemed to be confused now. Suddenly his expression changed when he looked at me. "You weren't going to sleep with him were you?"

"No!" I rebutted quickly. "It's not that!"

"Then what?" He raised his eyebrow in question.

I sighed for a while as I thought of the proper things to say. This wasn't what I had envisioned for John and me. I wasn't planning on telling him my feelings for him inside a messy, dark hotel room.

"He loves me, but I turned him down because I don't feel the same for him." I tried to stop myself from crying. Although I was embarrassed to admit my true feelings, it seems like I can't hold it in any longer. It was now or never. "I love someone else."

With that, John seemed to have calmed down a bit. He looked at me caringly and held my face as he sat closer to me.

"It's not your fault." He said.

I couldn't hold back my tears anymore so I started crying again. John pulled me to him and held me, gently caressing my back as I sobbed. I could hear his heart beating clearly as I leaned against him, his arms around me made me feel so secure.

"From now on, I will never leave you. You understand that?" He told me.

"We can't be this way, you know that." I replied. "We can't just be together, there are consequences."

"I don't care." He argued. "I'm going to protect you and I promise that this will never happen again. Diane, you're the most important thing in my life. "

I pulled away from him and saw the sincerity in his eyes as he stared back. He took my face in his hands and started kissing me. Although I felt better because of John, the moment I closed my eyes I started to imagine Randy again and the way he kissed me. It terrified me.

"I'm sorry." I said as I turned away. "I can't. Not now."

John looked at me apologetically and pulled me into a hug. At that moment, we we're both at a loss for words.


End file.
